Portlanders Join Flotilla Aiming to Break Israel’s Blockade of Aid to Gaza

Paul Reid and Stephen, both Portland residents, are among the hundreds of people from around the world who set sail in the Mediterranean Sea late last month. The two Portlanders joined the Global Sumud Flotilla, a fleet of civilian boats currently en route to Gaza in an attempt to deliver aid to Palestinians amid Israel’s ongoing siege on the enclave. 

Approaching nearly a month at sea, the flotilla has faced rough seas, multiple drone attacks, and coordinating complications due to the vast size of the coalition. Many members have endured persistent sea sickness, especially on smaller sail boats. 

Stephen is on a motorized boat with about 25 people, and has volunteered to work in the engine room. Reid is on a smaller sail boat where they take shifts at the helm.

Both Reid and Stephen have spent some time at sea—Reid in particular did a two-week voyage from Yemen to Oman years ago during peak pirate activity—but the current journey presents new challenges and life-threatening risks. 

They told the Mercury they wanted to take direct action to help people in Gaza, as world leaders have failed to do so. 

“I hope my people are able to see me not as crazy, but as profoundly dedicated to seeing a free Palestine after so many years of trauma and abuse at the hands of their occupiers,” Reid told the Mercury over text while the flotilla was docked in Tunisia. 

Israel has restricted crucial aid, including food and medical supplies, from entering Gaza for months, tightening its blockade after a short cease-fire earlier this year. According to the United Nations, more than half of Palestinians in Gaza are experiencing famine as a result of the Israeli blockade. 

Israel’s attacks on Palestinians have intensified in recent weeks, after nearly two years of war following a deadly attack by Hamas militants at a music festival in Israel on October 7, 2023. Israeli leaders, who’ve received military aid from the United States, say they must continue their air and ground offensive in Gaza to root out Hamas. More than 65,000 Palestinians—mostly civilians—have been killed since October 2023, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 

Those on the flotilla hope to break the blockade by sea, aiming to bypass the barriers Israel has set up to prevent aid from entering by land. 

“These boats don’t just carry aid; they carry a message: the siege must end,” a statement on the Global Sumud Flotilla’s website reads. 

A previous attempt to deliver aid to Gaza by boat was intercepted by Israeli forces, who detained the activists on board. This time, the much larger fleet has faced more challenges. 

The Global Sumud Flotilla departed from Spanish ports on August 31. Members say two of the fleet’s vessels were targeted in drone attacks off the coast of Tunisia on September 8 and 9. Stephen, who asked the Mercury to withhold his last name to protect his family, was aboard the vessel “Alma” when it was struck. Stephen told the Mercury he was the first to spot a fire on the boat after the strike. The fire was quickly extinguished by the crew.  

Though video footage appears to support the flotilla’s account, the Tunisian government denied the group’s claims in the first attack. Tunisia’s Ministry of the Interior however, called the second strike a deliberate attack and launched an investigation. Israeli authorities haven’t commented on the incident. 

GSF members indicated they weren’t surprised by what happened, and they’re determined to make it to their destination. 

Stephen said he’s “prepared for worst-case scenarios.”

“Anything is possible,” Stephen said in a text message on September 11. “The drone strikes were expected given they’ve occurred on prior flotillas.” He noted the crews practiced fire drills prior to leaving the port, and are now able to extinguish fires within seconds. 

The flotilla faced multiple drone attacks again on September 23. Reid’s boat, “Hio,” was hit with three flashbangs according to the GSF website. In a social media post, Reid described the munitions as flashbangs on steroids, much bigger than anything he’d seen at a protest.

Following the attack, it appears the flotilla may soon get security reinforcements. On Wednesday, Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said he would join Italy in sending a warship from Cartagena to protect the boats from further attacks.

Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon has joined three other US lawmakers in pressuring Secretary of State Marco Rubio to urge Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to interfere in the flotilla’s operations.

Both Stephen and Reid stressed the global failure to stop Israel’s siege on Gaza. Many experts, including the International Association of Genocide Scholars, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, multiple Israeli human rights groups, and most recently, a panel commissioned by the United Nations, have said Israel’s acts in Gaza constitute a genocide. 

Reid says he hopes the trip will bring the death and suffering in Gaza into sharper focus for Americans. “This mission, for me, is poetry,” Reid said.“It is illogical to sail a boat into a storm. To witness someone do that intentionally would immediately arrest our attention.”

While some Portlanders were compelled to make the nearly 7,000-mile trek to Gaza, others have been advocating for the mission of the flotilla closer to home. 

Tom Nelson, a Portland lawyer, also flew to Tunisia in late August, but did not end up on a boat due to some vessels not being ready and experiencing technical issues. He is now back in the US offering legal aid to the flotilla group while applying pressure on local congressional leaders here in Oregon. Nelson was part of a fleet of boats that set out to deliver aid to Gaza in 2008. 

Nelson is one of many Portlanders who has called on all of Oregon’s congressional representatives to support the Block the Bombs Act, which would prohibit the US from sending certain offensive munitions to Israel. Human rights groups have said these shipments are against both US and international humanitarian law. 

Oregon Representatives Val Hoyle and Suzanne Bonamici co-sponsored Block the Bombs on August 22 and September 2, respectively. Representative Maxine Dexter didn’t initially co-sponsor the bill, but joined on September 19 after weeks of pressure from her constituents. Dexter said she doesn’t support the United States “sending offensive weapons to Netanyahu’s government.”

“I joined the Block the Bombs Act and will keep pursuing every possible avenue to stop the massacre, surge humanitarian aid into Gaza, bring all hostages home and secure lasting peace, safety, and dignity for Palestinians and Israelis alike,” Dexter told the Mercury in an email on September 19. 

Senator Merkley has pushed to block offensive military aid to Israel since February 2024. Following a recent trip to the Gaza border, Merkley released a report saying the Israeli government is carrying out an ethnic cleansing plan in Gaza, which the US is complicit in. Merkley told the Mercury he’s in full support of the flotilla. 

“I applaud the people aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, who are placing themselves in danger to deliver desperately needed food to Gaza and who are helping to rally the world’s attention and pressure to secure a ceasefire, return all the hostages, and flood Gaza with humanitarian aid,” Merkley said in an email to the Mercury.

Senator Ron Wyden, meanwhile, has faced significant pushback from constituents for failing to support the Block the Bombs Act. Wyden asserts that Israel needs weapons to defend itself against any attacks from Iran.

Wyden’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the GSF and Block the Bombs Act.

Portland community members have hosted multiple rallies in support of the flotilla and to pressure Oregon’s US representatives. Supporters gathered at Sellwood Riverfront Park in Southeast Portland on August 31 for a rally that included homemade signs, and Palestinian flags waved from kayaks. Additionally, Portland parents have fasted for Gaza. Kawthar, a prominent local activist, began a seven-day hunger strike on September 17, which culminated in an event at Wyden and Dexter’s offices on September 23.

The GSF isn’t the only group using international waters to try to effectuate change.

On Sunday, the largest union in Italy called for a 24-hour general strike in solidarity with Palestinians. Tens of thousands across the country have joined protests, causing widespread disruption. The movement started when an Italian dockworkers union, Unione Sindacale di Base, threatened to “shut down all of Europe” and block all shipments to Israel if they lose communication with the flotilla or it is intercepted by Israel. 

The GSF and its dozens of boats could reach Gaza at the end of the month, either successfully delivering aid or flaring into a tense encounter with Israeli opposition. As for those on the boats, they remain committed, ready to face anything that comes their way. 

“Our government has failed us and Palestine, so it’s now up to the people to act to break the siege on Gaza,” Stephen said. “We need to be the change we want to see. Whatever we’re leaving behind or missing is nothing compared to what Gazans have been experiencing on a daily basis for almost two years.”