Ghassan Al-Hanshiri, a spokesperson for the Maghreb Resilience Flotilla, part of the Global Resilience Flotilla, said, "Eight ships have left the ports of Gammarth and Bizerte so far (17:00 GMT) heading to the Gaza Strip."
Al-Hanshiri explained that "two Tunisian ships left the port of Gammarth (in the Tunisian capital) on Sunday, heading to Gaza, on a voyage to break the siege."
He confirmed that "a third Tunisian ship is preparing to leave the port of Gammarth in a few moments, heading for Gaza," noting that "the total number of Tunisian ships docked in the port of Gammarth is eight."
Al-Hanshiri added, "The number of ships that have so far departed from the port of Bizerte, northern Tunisia, towards Gaza is six, including five Spanish ships and one Tunisian ship, out of a total of 17 ships in the port."
Al-Hanshiri explained that there are still other ships in the port of Sidi Bou Said (in the capital, Tunis), while ships have left from Italy and Spain and will all meet at sea, heading for Gaza.
On Saturday, the International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza announced the departure of the first ship of the Global Steadfastness Flotilla from the port of Bizerte in northern Tunisia, bound for the Gaza Strip.
The "Global Resilience Fleet" currently comprises approximately 50 vessels assembled in Tunisian ports, including a 23-ship North African convoy, in addition to 22 foreign vessels, with participants from several countries in Europe and Latin America, as well as the United States, Pakistan, India, and Malaysia, according to spokespeople and activists within the fleet, as well as observations by an Anadolu Agency correspondent.
At the end of last August, a convoy of ships within the fleet departed from the Spanish port of Barcelona, followed by another convoy at dawn on September 1 from the port of Genoa in northwestern Italy.
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On September 7, ships from Spain and Italy as part of the "Resilience Flotilla" began arriving off the Tunisian coast, in preparation for their journey to Gaza to break the Israeli blockade and open a humanitarian corridor to deliver aid to starving Palestinians.
Over the past few days, European ships have preceded their Maghreb counterparts in heading to the port of Bizerte, the departure point for Gaza.
According to spokespersons for the Steadfastness Flotilla, the fleet includes dozens of ships and hundreds of participants from 47 Arab and Western countries, including prominent politicians, artists, and parliamentarians.
This is the first time such a large number of ships have sailed together toward Gaza. Israel has previously intercepted individual ships heading to the Strip, seized them, and deported the activists on board.
Since March 2, Israel has closed all crossings into Gaza, preventing any food, medicine, or humanitarian aid from entering the Strip. This has plunged the Strip into famine, despite the backlog of aid trucks at its borders.
Israel sometimes allows the entry of very limited quantities of aid that fail to meet the minimum needs of the starving and do not end the famine, especially since most trucks are robbed by gangs that the Gaza government claims Israel protects.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving 64,871 Palestinians dead, 164,610 injured, most of them children and women, hundreds of thousands displaced, and a famine that has claimed the lives of 422 Palestinians, including 145 children.
