Lisbon, Sept. 25, 2025 (Lusa) - Portuguese activist Miguel Duarte has assured that the flotilla of 51 vessels carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza is determined to reach the enclave, despite successive attempts to thwart the mission, which he attributes to Israel.
Contacted by telephone by the Lusa news agency on Wednesday, Miguel Duarte reported from the ship on which he is currently off the Greek island of Crete that on Tuesday night 11 "intimidating explosions" were heard, damaging the sails and masts of some ships, but that no injuries were reported.
One of the affected ships, he said, may be forced to leave the Global Sumud Flotilla - ‘we are still seeing if it will have to do so,’ he commented - which is still made up of the remaining 50 vessels that left Barcelona (Spain) and other ports, notably in Italy, earlier this month with activists, politicians, journalists and doctors of more than 40 nationalities.
Also on board are two Portuguese citizens (MP and leader of the Left Bloc Party, Mariana Mortágua, and actress Sofia Aparício), as well as Swedish environmentalist Greta Thunberg, who has already left the Global Sumud management and changed ships, but continues to support the mission.
Miguel Duarte told Lusa that the flotilla is continuing to sail towards Gaza, but at a slower pace, as they are still assessing the damage to the ships affected by Tuesday night's explosions.
"If all goes well, we will be able to reach Gaza in six to seven days and deliver the humanitarian aid we have on board," said Miguel Duarte, admitting that he has doubts about whether they will be able to reach the Palestinian enclave in the face of Israeli pressure.
"We are on our way to Gaza to personally deliver humanitarian aid to the population of Gaza," he stressed. The activists refuse to hand over the aid they are carrying to Israel, as they believe it would not reach the Palestinian people.
Italy announced on Wednesday that it is sending a military frigate for "possible rescue operations" to the flotilla, while Italian minister of foreign affairs Antonio Tajani is seeking to mediate with the Israeli government for authorisation for the aid to reach its destination.
"The Italian government is analysing all options to avoid further offensive actions against the flotilla's ships," Italian diplomatic sources said on Wednesday.
Miguel Duarte considered that the mediation conducted by Rome "is part of the responsibility of all states to ensure security [for the flotilla] and the arrival of humanitarian aid" to the Palestinian enclave.
The ships that are part of the Global Sumud Flotilla intend, with the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, to "break the Israeli siege," after two attempts were blocked by Israel in June and July.
In June, Israel detained the Freedom Flotilla ships attempting to reach Gaza at sea - according to the organisation, in international waters - and deported their members, some of whom had been held in Israeli prisons.
The Israeli government said on Monday that it would not allow the flotilla to reach Gaza, where a war has been ongoing for almost two years, proposing that it dock at the port of the Israeli city of Ashkelon, north of the Palestinian enclave, and transfer the aid, which it said it would take care of delivering to its destination.
On 7 October 2023, Israel declared war on the Gaza Strip to ‘eradicate’ the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, hours after it carried out an attack of unprecedented proportions on Israeli territory, killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping 251.
The war in the Palestinian enclave has so far claimed at least 65,419 lives, mostly civilians, and left 167,160 wounded, in addition to thousands missing, presumably buried in the rubble and also scattered in the streets, and several thousand more who have died from disease and infection, according to updated figures from local authorities, which the UN considers reliable.
The United Nations declared a famine in some areas of the enclave last month, and last week an independent UN committee accused Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip.
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