About 30 boats are planned to leave the Mediterranean port city laden with medical aid and other supplies ​on the Global Sumud Flotilla, and more vessels are expected to join along ​the route towards Palestine.

The Israeli military halted the roughly 40 boats ⁠assembled by the same organisation last October as they attempted to reach blockaded Gaza, ​arresting Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and more than 450 other participants.

Mission to ‘open Humanitarian corridor’

Israel, ​which controls all access to the Gaza Strip, denies withholding supplies for its more than 2 million residents. Yet Palestinians and international aid bodies say supplies reaching the territory are still insufficient, despite ​a ceasefire reached in October, which included guarantees of increased aid.

Liam Cunningham, an ​actor who starred in the Game of Thrones television series, who is supporting the flotilla but not ‌taking ⁠part, told Reuters: “Every kilogram of aid that is on these ships is a failure because all these people on these ships giving up their time to help their fellow human beings are doing what their governments are legally obliged to do.”

The World ​Health Organisation has said ​that even during ⁠armed conflicts, states are obligated under international humanitarian law to ensure that people are able to reach medical care in safety.

“This is ​a mission that aims to open a humanitarian corridor so ​the aid ⁠delivery organisations can arrive,” Saif Abukeshak, a Palestinian activist and member of the flotilla’s organising committee, told Reuters.

Swiss and Spanish activists on last year’s flotilla said they were subjected to ⁠inhumane ​conditions during their detention by Israeli forces - an allegation ​that was rejected by an Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson.