Belgian doctor leaves flotilla for security reasons

17 September 2025

The flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists heading to the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid set sail from Tunisia on Monday without Belgian doctor Hanne Bosselaers. She announced her withdrawal on Instagram, explaining that the flotilla had been reduced for security reasons, leaving some participants behind.

"Due to various factors, including security, there was less capacity on the boats in Tunis than anticipated, and several participants, including myself, had to remain on the shore," she said in a video message. "That's unfortunate, of course, especially for my Palestinian colleagues in Gaza, but this isn't about me, but about what's happening in Palestine, amidst the deafening silence of our government."

"A strong flotilla of 39 boats will break the blockade on Gaza"

Bosselaers, who worked in Gaza in 2013 and remains in close contact with her colleagues there, stressed the importance of keeping attention on the humanitarian situation. She noted that 39 boats were able to depart: 16 from Barcelona, six from Tunis, and 17 still en route from Sicily. "A strong flotilla of 39 boats will break the blockade on Gaza," she said.

Doctor Hanne Bosselaers speaks to support demonstrators who gather at Luxembourg Square, in front of the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium on 6 January, 2025.
© PHOTO WIKTOR DABKOWSKI / ZUMA PRESS WIRE

In June, Greta Thunberg already tried a similar approach with the Madleen, a humanitarian sailing ship from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC). This latest attempt is on a larger scale and has been dubbed the "Global Sumud Flotilla", a project in which four major organisations have joined forces to send dozens of boats, carrying both well-known and lesser-known activists, in an effort to break the Israeli blockade. "Sumud" in Arabic translates to "steadfastness".

Libyan girl scouts pose for a picture in front of the Omar al-Mukhtar ship, a Libyan ship setting sail on 17 September to join the Global Sumud Flotilla, at the port in Tripoli. © PHOTO MAHMUD TURKIA / AFP

The flotilla, which also includes vessels that have departed from Corsica, Sicily and Greece in recent days, had originally aimed to reach Gaza in mid-September, after two earlier attempts in June and July were blocked by Israel. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg is also taking part.

^{Activists ride aboard a vessel departing from Tunisia's northern port of Bizerte on 14 September, 2025 to join the last boats taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla, bound for the Gaza Strip to break Israel's blockade on the Palestinian territory. © PHOTO MOHAMED FLISS / AFP}

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