Thousands of Tunisians flocked to Sidi Bou Said beach near Tunis on Wednesday (September 10) to back the Global Sumud Flotilla, a convoy of boats carrying international activists set to sail toward Gaza. The flotilla will attempt to sail towards the Strip in a major gesture of solidarity with Palestinians and an effort to challenge Israel’s blockade of the enclave.

The Global Sumud flotilla, an international aid initiative to deliver vital supplies to Gaza, was scheduled to sail on Wednesday, after two drone attacks targeted key ships in the convoy over the past two nights, which organizers described as deliberate attempts by Israel to disrupt this mission.

The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment.

However, organizers said Wednesday evening that it was decided to postpone the departure of the ships to a later time due to bad weather conditions and for logistical reasons.

The fleet has support from delegations from 44 countries, and among the activists are Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, Portuguese left-wing politician Mariana Mortagua, and Nelson Mandela's grandson.

A Reuters correspondent saw Tunisian coast guard ships hovering nearby to protect the fleet while participants stood on the dock carrying their luggage and preparing to board the boats.

Thousands gathered on Sidi Bou Said beach waving Palestinian flags and chanting slogans calling for freedom for Gaza and denouncing Israel and the United States.

The blockade has remained in place through conflicts including the current war, which began when Hamas attacked south Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, Israeli tallies showed.

Israel's subsequent military assault against Hamas has killed over 64,000 Palestinians, Gaza's health ministry said, while a global hunger monitor said part of the enclave is suffering from famine.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SIDI BOU SAID, TUNISIA (SEPTEMBER 10, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF THOUSANDS OF TUNISIANS RALLYING ON SIDI BOU SAID BEACH IN SUPPORT OF GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA DEPARTURE FROM TUNISIA / SUPPORTERS HOLDING PALESTINIAN AND TUNISIAN FLAGS

2. SUPPORTERS AT THE BEACH WITH GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA SHIPS ANCHORED

3. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SUPPORTER OF THE GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA, SALMA BEN HAMMADI, SAYING:

"I came today to support the Sumud Flotilla and the Freedom Flotilla, because our support for them can make them stronger and help them overcome the difficulties they may face on their journey. It also makes them feel that many people are with them, that they are not alone. At the very least, they will carry our voices, and the least we can do is to support and encourage them today."

4. ACTIVISTS OF GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA GATHERING IN SIDI BOU SAID PORT SIGNING AND CLAPPING

5. ACTIVISTS CHANTING IN ENGLISH: "Free free Palestine"

6. VARIOUS OF ACTIVISTS SITTING WITH THIER BELONGINGS WAITING TO BORAD THE BOATS

7. (SOUNDBITE) (French) PARTICIPANT OF THE GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA, JOELLE TICHAWZER, SAYING:

"We cannot commit ourselves to Palestine without committing ourselves to all the other oppressed. But it begins with Palestine. Because Palestine crystallizes all the complicities of our governments. All the complicities of our governments. And that is why we, the people, must take the place of our governments. Because they do not do it. And we, people who have never sailed, commit ourselves on boats and are going to achieve the impossible."

8. WOMEN HOLDING A SIGN READING IN ENGLISH:"With every wave we break the wall, Gaza lives Zionists fall"

9. VARIOUS OF SUPPORTERS GATHERING AT THE BEACH HOLDING PALESTINIAN FLAGS

10. GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA ANCHORED / PEOPLE HOLDING PALESTINIAN FLAGS

11. VARIOUS OF SUPPORTER HOLDING PALESTINIAN FLAG

12. (SOUNDBITE)(Arabic) TUNISIAN ACTOR AND PARTICIPANT OF THE GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA, MOHAMED MRAD, SAYING:

"I feel proud to have had the opportunity and to have been accepted to go with them on the flotilla and to contribute, even if it is something small. Still, whatever I can do from my side gives me a sense of pride. Because this flotilla will remain in history, and as many people, including the Spanish (Global Sumud flotilla), have said, this is the largest flotilla in seventy years to set out in an attempt to lift and break the blockade on Gaza."

13. VARIOUS OF ACTIVIST ENTERING THE PORT TO BOARD BOATS

14. SUPPORTERS HOLDING A FLARE FLAME AND CHANTING SLOGANS

15. (SOUNDBITE) (English) GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA MEMBER AND BRAZILIAN ACTIVIST, THIAGO ÁVILA, SAYING:

"Most of the Barcelona, the boats that came from Barcelona, they are at anchor. They are not docked here. And you know that we've been attacked for two nights in a row. So this is a critical situation. The boats that are not docked, the boats that are anchored, they are at severe high risk of getting attacked again. So this is a top priority for us, and we've been trying to solve that, to put all the captains and crew and the participants on board these boats. We are trying to make the sail to Bizert port, which is our next stop to prepare everything for our journey to Gaza."

16. VARIOUS OF GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA BOATS ANCHORED

17. GRAFFITI ON THE WALL READING IN ENGLISH: "All eyes on Gaza"

18. MAN WALKING HOLDING PALESTINIAN FLAG

19. VARIOUS OF SUPPORTERS HOLDING PALESTINIAN FLAGS