People all over the world are protesting Israel’s attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla. Over 40 boats were attempting to reach Gaza, deliver material aid and break the siege. According to the flotilla’s website, 161 of the kidnapped crew members had been released as of the morning of Oct. 6, while 301 were still “held captive” by Israel under conditions amounting to torture.
The boats had all been illegally seized in international waters by Oct. 3. Captured crew members reported being forced to drink toilet water, going for days with no food, violent threats and being treated “like monkeys.” (Aljazeera.com, Oct. 5)
Yet if the Zionists thought they could push back the global movement in solidarity with Palestine, they’ve learned the opposite. An estimated 2 million workers in Italy, in some 100 cities, took part in a strike on Oct. 3 to protest the attack on the flotilla. Organizers estimate that 300,000 people participated in Rome, 100,000 in Milan, 50,000 in Naples and hundreds of thousands more around Italy, blocking roads and bringing transportation to a standstill.
Mass protests took place all over Europe — in Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Dublin, Geneva, London, Madrid, Paris, and many other cities. Almost 1,000 people were willingly arrested at a demonstration in Britain in support of Palestine Action, which has been banned by the government.
Demonstrations were held in Brasilia, Brazil; Buenos Aires; Istanbul; Karachi and Peshawar, Pakistan; Kolkata, India; Mexico City; Tunis, Tunisia, as well as multiple U.S. cities.
Flotilla organizers say their plans are for another flotilla, this time with 1,000 boats.
Protesters occupy rail track to protest attack on the flotilla, Milan, Italy, Oct. 1, 2025.
The Zionist regime’s attack on the flotilla was illegal. Israel has been charged with genocide in the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, and on Sept. 16 a United Nations commission of inquiry said Israel has committed genocide. But the legal process won’t end the mass slaughter in Gaza — the struggle will.
The Palestinian Resistance has shown no signs of giving up. It is the people’s steadfastness — sumud in Arabic — combined with worldwide solidarity that has forced Israel back to the negotiating table with Hamas. Regardless of the outcome of this round of talks — and it is up to the Palestinian people to decide what they are willing to agree to — the determined fight in Palestine has brought about a permanent, qualitative change in the class struggle worldwide.