Aid flotilla with Greta Thunberg heads to Gaza after bad weather

An aid flotilla carrying some 350 activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, departed Barcelona on Tuesday en route to Gaza after weather conditions forced a temporary halt a day earlier.

The Global Sumud Flotilla Mission, which is organizing the effort, said the decision to delay was taken to “avoid risking complications,” with winds reaching up to 35 miles per hour (56 kph).

The mission is structured in two waves: the first departing from Barcelona and the second scheduled to leave Tunis on Thursday. Organizers said the boats are expected to meet in the Mediterranean before heading toward Gaza, a journey of around a week.

“We are sailing again to break the siege and open up a humanitarian corridor,” Thunberg said in a video message.

According to the organizers, the flotilla of several dozen boats is aimed at delivering food and humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave while also challenging Israel’s naval blockade. Actor Liam Cunningham, best known for his role in Game of Thrones, is also part of the effort.

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Israel has maintained a naval blockade on Gaza since 2007, arguing it is necessary to prevent weapons smuggling to Hamas. Previous flotilla attempts have been intercepted by Israeli authorities, including a mission earlier this year in which Thunberg also participated.

Israeli officials have dismissed such voyages as political stunts carried out in support of Hamas. Activists, however, insist the missions are humanitarian in nature and intended to highlight the worsening crisis in Gaza, where nearly two years of war have left widespread devastation.