Flotilla sets sail, in bid to break blockade of Gaza

A flotilla of ships departed from Barcelona, Spain, to the Gaza Strip on Sunday with humanitarian aid and activists aboard in the largest attempt yet to break the long Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory by sea.

- RENATA BRITO AND TERESA MEDRANO

EMILIO MORENATTI Associated Press ACTIVISTS wave Palestinian flags in a Gaza-bound flotilla departing from Barcelona, Spain, on Sunday.

This comes as Israel has stepped up its offensive on Gaza City, limiting the deliveries of food and basic supplies in the north of the Palestinian territory. Food experts warned last month that the city was in famine and that half a million people across the strip were facing catastrophic levels of hunger.

The Global Sumud Flotilla is carrying food, water and medicine. Activists on board demanded safe passage to deliver the much-needed aid and the opening of a humanitarian sea corridor, according to a statement. The almost 23-month war has killed more than 63,000 people, with at least 339 Palestinians dying of malnutrition, including 124 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.