A few hours before the departure of the Sidi Bou Saïd flotilla towards Gaza, a member of its organizing committee, Nabil Chennoufi, assures that nothing will start the determination of the volunteers mobilized to break the blockade.
The Soumoud flotilla confirmed the official launch of its activities this Wednesday, September 10, 2025 from Tunisia. Invited this Wednesday at Mosaique FM, Nabil Chennoufi, member of the piloting body of the flotilla called “Soumoud”, said that “preparations take place in an atmosphere of enthusiasm” and that “recent events have not shaken neither the will nor the determination of the participants to go to Gaza”.
Support and challenges
According to him, all the volunteers are “fully committed and psychologically ready” to undertake this solidarity crossing. He even said that “people appear on a waiting list to join the expedition”, insisting that “no participant expressed the wish to withdraw for fear of what happened”.
Chennoufi recalled that the seriousness of the situation experienced by the Palestinian people “calls for general mobilization in favor of a just cause”. He also pointed out that some countries have expressed their support for the initiative, citing Italy, which is committed to protecting its nationals taking part in the trip.
Recent tragic events reinforcing determination
The flotilla is to raise anchor this Wednesday, September 10 at 4 p.m. from the port of Sidi Bou Saïd, in the direction of Gaza after two significant incidents, which took place in Tunisian waters.
On the night of Tuesday, September 9, the Alma boat, moored at the port of Sidi Bou Saïd, was targeted by an unidentified drone. According to Activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, an incendiary machine was dumped on the bridge of the ship. No injuries have been reported, and no major structural damage has been found.
The day before, Monday, September 8, the Family boat, the most imposing in the flotilla, had already undergone a fire in its bow. Witnesses mentioned the intervention of a drone preceding the incident, while the Ministry of the Interior awarded the start of the fire to an accidental departure, probably caused by a cigarette.
The UN special rapporteur for occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, denounced this series of attacks at sea as “the second attack on the flotilla, still in Tunisian waters, in two days”.
Tunisian activist Wael Naouar said that these attacks, far from discouraging crews, “strengthen the mobilization and determination of crews to continue the road to Gaza”.
