Spanish boats join Flotilla in Tunisia aiming to break Israeli blockade of Gaza

Spanish boats arrived in Tunisia on Sunday to take part in an international flotilla heading to Gaza to break Israel’s blockade on the Palestinian enclave.

The flotilla set sail from Barcelona on August 22 and is set to sail from Tunisia toward Gaza on Wednesday.

“We are here to support the same cause and to denounce decades of genocide by the occupying state,” Diego Elvira, a spokesman for the Spanish delegation, told a press conference at Sidi Bou Said Port in the capital Tunis.

Elvira said the Global Sumud Flotilla’s mission is “breaking the (Israeli) blockade and creating a humanitarian corridor.”

‘Challenges and storms’

“We came here (Tunisia) after seven days of sailing from Spain. We faced many challenges and many storms, but none of this compares to what we will face on our next journey, and all that we endure does not compare to a single day of what the Palestinian people endure,” he said.

Roughly 150 activists, among them Tunisians, Turkish citizens and campaigners from across Europe, Africa and Asia, are participating in the initiative.