Beyond the SUMUD Flotilla: Gaza's Genocide is the only headline

THE SUMUD Flotilla has captured the world’s attention - not simply because of the ships that set sail, but because of what they represent.

SUMUD, meaning “steadfastness” in Arabic, embodies the spirit of Palestinians and their allies who refuse to bow to oppression. This was not just a journey across seas; it was a voyage of conscience, one that carried food, medicine, baby formula and above all, a message of solidarity to Gaza, where the people continue to endure one of the most brutal genocides of our time.

After Israeli occupation naval forces illegally intercepted vessels of the Global SUMUD Flotilla - a peaceful, non-violent convoy with volunteers from 47 countries - hundreds of participants were abducted and reportedly taken aboard the MSC Johannesburg. The activists had been assaulted with water cannons, doused with skunk water and their communications systematically jammed. Several boats were blocked by a chain-like barrier in international waters, where Israel has no jurisdiction. This blatant act compounded Israel’s continued war crimes and illegal blockade of Gaza.

Adalah lawyers representing flotilla participants before Israeli authorities have received almost no updates. They do not know whether the estimated 443 abducted activists will arrive at Ashdod, where they are expected to be processed under unlawful detention.

Participants hold a banner reading "Palestine will live" during a demonstration in solidarity with Palestinians and to condemn the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla by Israeli army, at Place de la Republique in Paris, on October 2, 2025. Israel said on October 2 it will deport pro-Palestinian activists aboard the intercepted Sumud Flotilla of around 45 vessels, which began its voyage a month earlier, with politicians and activists aiming to break the siege and deliver aid to Gaza, where a famine was declared by the United Nations. (Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)

Intercepting humanitarian vessels in international waters is a crime under international law, as defined under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Denying legal counsel and concealing the fate of those seized only compounds that crime.

Among those kidnapped are 23 Malaysian citizens, seized by Israeli forces in an act of outright abduction. Their detention is a direct assault not only on humanitarian law but also on Malaysia’s sovereignty.

We must not, however, allow the headlines to drift away from the central issue. The flotilla is a symbol, but Gaza is the heart of the matter.

For 18 continuous years, Gaza has been under a suffocating blockade that has cut off its people from the world. It is not without reason that Gaza has long been called “the largest open-air prison in the world.”

Nearly two million people are locked in, denied freedom of movement, access to healthcare, clean water and the most basic human needs. While the world debates international law and diplomatic responses, people in Gaza are starving, bombed and deprived of medicine under this ongoing siege.

Every conversation about the flotilla must circle back to the real crime: the genocide and the blockade strangling Gaza.

A crowd hold banners in support of the Global Sumud Flotilla at the arrivals area of Athens International Airport on October 6, 2025, as they await the return of activists who were sailing aboard vessels from the Gaza-bound aid flotilla, after Israel stopped the flotilla and detained hundreds of people. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP)

Israel’s propaganda machine has already moved into overdrive. In a viral video, Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir accused the flotilla activists of being “defenders of killers and terrorists.”

This slander is not only outrageous but revealing. By branding acts of humanity as terrorism, Israel seeks to delegitimise solidarity and normalise its own mass killing. The narrative is inverted: those delivering baby formula and medicine are terrorists, while those dropping bombs on children are painted as defenders.

If bringing food and medicine is terrorism, then what do we call F-16s raining bombs on Gaza’s children? It is an insult to reason and morality - yet also a window into the desperation of a regime that knows it is losing the battle for global opinion.

Despite Israel’s aggression, the SUMUD Flotilla has ignited something powerful. Across Europe, thousands have flooded the streets. In Germany, activists raised their voices, some even invoking Abu Obaida’s name as a symbol of Palestinian resistance. The ships may have been stopped, but the solidarity they sparked is spreading far beyond the shores of Gaza.

The flotilla’s journey is important, but it must not overshadow the central truth: Gaza remains under genocide.

Every interception, every arrest, every act of resistance should point us back to the real headline - the lives being lost daily under Israel’s bombs and blockade. The SUMUD Flotilla has reignited solidarity across the globe, but solidarity must be sustained.

Gaza cannot be allowed to fade from the world’s headlines, for silence is complicity. Only by keeping Gaza at the centre of our attention can justice, freedom and dignity for Palestinians ever be realised.

When truth itself is criminalised, can justice for Gaza - or for anyone - ever be possible? The struggle for Gaza is, in fact, a struggle for truth itself and our response will decide whether justice still has meaning in our world.

Revda Selver is Friends of Palestine Public Relation and Media Executive. The views expressed in this article are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Sinar Daily.