Successfully Retrieved: 32 Global Sumud Fleet Vessels Arrive in Turkey, Ready to Depart for Gaza
The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) fleet, which had been holding out in Greek waters for a week, has joined the port of Marmaris, Turkey. Humanitarian vessels already waiting in southern Turkey picked up at least 32 vessels in the border waters between the two countries on Saturday night (9 May 2026). Currently, around 50 combined GSF humanitarian ships are docked at the Albatros Pier to continue their mission to sail through the Gaza blockade in Palestine.
Republika journalists Bambang Noroyono and Thoudy Badai accompanied the retrieval of the fleet sailing from Greece. Boarding the vessel Ilias, one of about 10 vessels from Marmaris, they sailed to the Turkey-Greece border waters for nearly 2.5 hours. The voyage took place at night, around 9:45 p.m. local time. Around 12:30 a.m. Mediterranean time, the Greek fleet carrying hundreds of activists and volunteers began entering Turkish waters.
Via the GSF Tracker, the GSF humanitarian vessels from Greece entered Turkish waters through the west-northwest side of Rhodes Island. About 32 humanitarian vessels had held out and sailed from the east side of Crete Island. Their arrival at Marmaris Port completes the remaining GSF humanitarian fleet planning to continue the voyage to Gaza, totalling around 54 vessels. The combined fleet, all docked at the Albatros Pier, will subsequently continue the voyage together to break through to Gaza.
From information received by Republika at Marmaris Port, Global Sumud Flotilla volunteers and activists will gather for a major meeting. This major meeting will determine the continuation of the humanitarian voyage carrying food aid, medicines, clean water, and needs for children and babies for the people of Gaza, Palestine.
The Global Sumud Flotilla civilian voyage was held up for more than a week after Zionist Israeli naval forces launched an attack in international waters near Greece on Wednesday (29 April 2026). Twenty-two vessels were hijacked, and around 178 volunteers and activists from more than 20 countries were abducted in the Zionist attack at that time. Twenty-two of the 56 vessels attacked by Zionist Israel.
The attack and abduction by Zionist soldiers at that time were accompanied by violence, even sexual harassment. Those abducted were taken to Greece. Only two activists were taken by Zionist soldiers to Israel for detention in isolation cells, namely Thiago Avila and Saif Abukeshek. The two are the leaders of this Global Sumud Flotilla voyage. In the detention cells, they also experienced torture, intimidation, and threats.
Thiago is a humanitarian activist from Brazil. The Zionist abduction is not the first he has experienced. In the grand Global Sumud Flotilla 2025 voyage from Tunisia, Thiago also experienced the same abduction and was then deported to Jordan. Meanwhile, Saif is a Palestinian-born humanitarian activist who changed citizenship to Spain and Sweden.
During detention by Zionist Israel, Thiago and Saif were threatened with being killed or imprisoned for 100 years. Prosecutors from the Zionist authorities accused Thiago and Saif’s activism in the Global Sumud Flotilla of being a form of assistance to terrorist groups. Even Zionist prosecutors accused them of committing terrorism by helping groups or nations currently hostile to Israel in Gaza, Palestine.
Since being abducted and detained by Zionist Israeli soldiers, as of Sunday (10 May 2026), Thiago and Saif remain in detention. However, previously, on Saturday (9 May 2026), the Spanish Government, as well as the Adalah Advocacy Team, stated that Zionist Israel would release Thiago and Saif on Saturday (9 May 2026) through a deportation mechanism. But until the Greek humanitarian fleet entered and joined the humanitarian vessels in Turkey, Thiago and Saif had not yet been released and were not deported.