Freedom Flotilla Sends Three 2025 Missions

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Freedom Flotilla Sends Three Missions This Year to Break the Illegal Israeli Blockade of Gaza

Greetings from US Boats to Gaza!

We have had an extraordinarily busy summer and autumn with many boats from multiple organizations, carrying approximately 700 participants  challenging Israel’s genocide of Gaza and its illegal naval blockade.

So busy, that we apologize for not sending updates by newsletter, but we hope you have followed the US Boats to Gaza, the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, the Global Sumud Flotilla and the Thousand Madleens across Instagram and other social media platforms.

This year’s maritime civil resistance began in Malta in May 2025 when the Freedom Flotilla Coalition gathered dozens of civilians from over 20 countries to prepare them to sail to break the siege of Gaza. Shortly after midnight, on May 2, just hours before 60 international delegates were scheduled to board the ship Conscience, the Israeli military bombed the vessel in international waters, off the coast of Malta. Miraculously all 18 civilian crew members already on board the Conscience  survived the blasts, with only a few suffering minor injuries. Infuriatingly, there was NO international outcry over Israel bombing a civilian vessel in European/international waters. We had the Conscience towed to Türkiye to be repaired.

We did not allow Israel’s violence to stop us. Although the Conscience was incapacitated, within a month, we were able to acquire another vessel and resume our efforts to challenge the naval blockade. We did so in conjunction with two other civilian initiatives–the Global March to Gaza and the Sumud Convoy from Tunis.  In June 2025, we  launched the Madleen sailboat from Sicily, carrying 12 civilians, including climate justice activist Greta Thunberg, and French member of the European Parliament, Rima Hassan. Israeli forces hijacked the Madleen in international waters, 115 nautical miles from Gaza. Participants were abducted and taken against their will to Israel, imprisoned and ultimately deported from Israel with a 100-year ban. Though small, the Madleen—a sailboat with just 12 civilians setting out to challenge one of the world’s most powerful militaries in an effort to halt a genocide—captured global attention and inspired millions who followed its journey. The voyage sparked a rallying cry: a call for “a thousand Madleens” to sail to Gaza.

Thus began the coordinated international effort that would form the Global Sumud Flotilla.In July 2025, while working to help the Global Sumud Flotilla take shape, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition–with funding raised by you, the donors–managed to launch another mission, this one dedicated to the children of Gaza. On July 20, the fishing trawler Handala set sail to Gaza from Gallipoli, in the Puglia region of Italy, carrying food, medicine, baby formula, and stuffed animals for Gaza’s children. Notably, Puglia, which is in the heel of Italy’s boot, was the first region in all of Europe to officially cut all institutional ties with Israel.

Twenty-one  persons were on board Handala including seven U.S. citizens: Huwaida Arraf, Palestinian-American human rights attorney, with a long history with the International Solidarity Movement, the Free Gaza Movement and the Freedom Flotilla Coalition; Bob Suberi, American-Israeli citizen who spends much of his time in West Bank; Frank Romano, American-French attorney with a long history in Palestinian issues; Chris Smalls, union leader who organized the first union within Amazon; Braedon Peluso, a seasoned sailor, engineer and activist with marine conservation and sea rescue organizations; Jacob Berger, a Jewish American actor and comedian; and Waad Al Musa, an Iraqi-American journalist and accomplished cameraman working for Al-Jazeera. On July 27, Israeli forces attacked Handala, approximately 50 nautical miles from the coast of Gaza, illegally commandeering the vessel and abducting all civilians on board. Outrageously, the U.S. Consulate provided no services to their citizens who were kidnapped, beaten and jailed by Israel.

In late August, the Global Sumud Flotilla, with 42 ships and over 450 participants sailed in a 31-day voyage from Barcelona, through Tunis, Sicily and Crete and finally off to Gaza where Israeli forces illegally intercepted all the boats, and arrested and imprisoned all participants. Greta Thunberg was again amongst the participants and was singled out for especially harsh and degrading treatment by Israeli authorities, including fascist Israeli Minister of Security Itimar Ben Gvir. Approximately 40 U.S. citizens were on the various boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla.

On October 1, as the Global Sumud Flotilla was nearing Gaza,  the Freedom Flotilla Coalition launched the newly-repaired  Conscience from the port of Otranto, Italy. A dedicated media and medics vessel, the Conscience carried dozens of journalists and healthcare workers. Eight U.S. citizens were among the 92 participants on board. Huwaida Arraf (co-leading the mission), Braedon Peluso (chief engineer), Victor Digilio (crew), journalists Tom Hayes, Emily Wilder, and Noa Avishag Schnall, human rights attorney Thomas Becker Jr., and physician  Dr. Dhiaa Daoud. Many physicians and healthcare workers and journalists from other countries were also on board the Conscience.

The Conscience was joined by eight sailboats sailing under the name of “Thousand Madleens” that were organized by French, Danish and Italian campaigns. 

The article and interview below give more detailed descriptions of the treatment of flotilla participants in Israeli prison, which is nowhere near as harsh as the treatment of Palestinian prisoners, but important to acknowledge. 

CALL TO ACTION:

  • JOIN a local action and keep raising your voices. Despite the hype, there’s no ceasefire in Gaza and the level of violence and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank is the highest it’s ever been.
  • MAKE A DONATION to US Boats to Gaza as we are preparing the next mission for the early Spring, 2026.
  • SHARE this newsletter with family, friends and colleagues.
  • FILL OUT this Volunteer Form.

Not everyone can sail on the boats, but we have other very important roles including media/communications (website and social media development, Instagram, X, and Facebook posting, newsletter production), ground crew at departure site, ground crew at post-prison site, experienced crew, community development.  Please note on the form your expertise in any of these areas as well as the other information requested on the form.

U.S. Boats to Gaza Steering Committee

Huwaida Arraf, Ann Wright, Kit Kittridge, Alex McDonald, Ellen Davidson, Sherri Maurin, Lori- Kamleh Ajlouny, Frank Romano

Stay connected with the U.S. Boats to Gaza and Gaza Freedom Flotilla Coalition via Instagram, Facebook, X, Telegram, TikTok, Bluesky and LinkedIn.