A Gaza-bound flotilla carrying humanitarian aid and pro-Palestinian activists including environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg has departed Barcelona, several hours after winds forced it to return to the Spanish port, according to journalists at the scene.
Around 20 vessels left the Spanish city yesterday aiming to "open a humanitarian corridor and end the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people" amid the Israel-Hamas war, said the Global Sumud Flotilla - sumud being the Arabic term for "resilience".
But "due to unsafe weather conditions", the flotilla returned to port "to allow the storm to pass," the organisation said in an earlier statement, without specifying when exactly the boats returned to Barcelona.
"We made this decision to prioritise the safety and well-being of all participants and to safeguard the success of our mission," it added, citing gusts that exceeded 55 kilometres per hour.
Organisers said they were especially concerned about the risk the weather posed to the smaller boats.
Spain's national weather agency AEMET had issued warnings of rainfall and strong storms for the northeastern region of Catalonia which includes Barcelona.
The activists from dozens of countries include Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, Irish actor Liam Cunningham and Spain's Eduard Fernandez, as well as European politicians and public figures, including former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau.
A Co Laois nurse, who is among several Irish people taking part in the flotilla, said the aim is to break the siege on Gaza.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, mother-of-four Ms Lawlor said: "The most important thing on the boats is we carry only humanitarian aid.
"All of this aid has been checked by independent humanitarian agencies and for security, and also to verify it is purely humanitarian aid - medicines, food and whatever equipment we can bring."
Ms Lawlor said space is limited as the boats are also full of civilians but that they all have "a common heart and soul, and that is for humanity".
"And that's what this mission comes down to. We are all very frustrated that our governments - our own Government - and across the world are not taking action against a literal genocide," she said.
She said the aim of the flotilla is to break the siege on Gaza: "Our aim is to break that siege, to get this aid to people who are being forcibly starved to death."
Poet Sarah Clancy and novelist Naoise Dolan are also among the Irish contingent.
The United Nations declared a state of famine in the territory this month, warning that 500,000 people face "catastrophic" conditions.
The Global Sumud Flotilla describes itself as an independent group not linked to any government or political party. Sumud means perseverance in Arabic.
Israel has already blocked two attempts by activists to deliver aid by ship to Gaza, in June and July.
Watch: 'This is a shameful period in the history of the world' - Cunningham
Irish actor Liam Cunningham, who is supporting the flotilla, said what is happening in Gaza is a "shameful period in the history of the world".
Organisers say that dozens of other vessels are expected to leave Tunisian and other Mediterranean ports on 4 September.
People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Paul Murphy said that he will travel to Tunis in Tunisia to join the flotilla on Thursday.
Ms Thunberg, who is part of the flotilla's steering committee, said activists will stage simultaneous demonstrations and other protests in 44 countries "in solidarity with the Palestinian people".
Ms Lawlor said that "we're very, very hopeful to reach Gaza and we've prepared for every eventuality".
She said a lot of planning and training has gone into the mission including risk assessments.
"This isn't a willy-nilly group of people jumping on a few boats. This is a movement of a lot of coalitions involved, who have come together with that aim, and that is our hope that we will break that illegal siege and reach Gaza and create a humanitarian corridor for more aid to reach Gaza.
"This is a high-risk mission, but it is a mission of hope and it's a mission of desperation because we, as civilians, have been put in this position and we refuse to be complicit in a genocide.
"It's intolerable to watch what is happening in Gaza and what has been happening there, not just since 7 October, but for years," Ms Lawlor said.
The flotilla is expected to arrive in Gaza in mid-September and comes after Israel blocked two activist attempts to deliver aid to the devastated Palestinian territory by ship in June and July.
The United Nations has declared a famine in Gaza, warning that 500,000 people face "catastrophic" conditions.
The war in Gaza was triggered by a cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas into Israel on 7 October 2023, which resulted in the death of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 63,371 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The UN considers those figures reliable.
Additional reporting AFP/Reuters
