An international flotilla carrying aid to the besieged Gaza Strip set sail from Tunisia on Monday, after several delays, aiming to challenge Israel’s blockade and open a humanitarian corridor.

The fleet, made up of around 20 ships that had gathered in Barcelona, Spain, departed from Bizerte in northern Tunisia, with the last vessel leaving at dawn, according to an AFP photographer at the scene.

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who joined the launch, said the mission sought to send a message of solidarity to Palestinians in Gaza. “We want to tell the people of Gaza that the world has not forgotten them,” she told reporters. “Since governments are failing to take responsibility, we have no choice but to act ourselves.”

Organizers of the flotilla stressed that their objective is to break Israel’s blockade, in place since 2007, and deliver humanitarian assistance to residents of Gaza, where tens of thousands have been killed and wounded since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October 2023.