International activists have announced a new and larger maritime mission to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. The initiative, called the 'Global Sumud Flotilla', is scheduled for March and will include around 100 vessels and about 1,000 participants. The plan was unveiled at a meeting held at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg, South Africa. Organizers described it as the largest civilian humanitarian intervention yet against Israel’s policies concerning Gaza.

Mandla Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela and a participant in a similar mission last year, said the upcoming flotilla will include doctors, human rights activists, and war crimes investigators. Alongside the sea convoy, a land convoy through neighboring Arab countries is also being planned, expected to attract thousands of supporters. In October, Israeli forces seized about 40 vessels from a previous Global Sumud Flotilla and detained around 450 activists, including Mandela and climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Although a ceasefire is currently in place in Gaza, the UN reports that humanitarian aid remains far below the required level. Activists said they will continue efforts to highlight the humanitarian crisis and challenge the blockade despite possible obstacles.