The Flotillas, Part 1: What does it take to sail to Gaza?
The Take
Al Jazeera
4.7 • 748 Ratings
🗓️ 20 April 2026
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This is The Flotillas, a three-part documentary series from The Take. Part 1: It was just a few boats and a radical idea – break the maritime siege of Gaza imposed by Israel. Today, that spark has grown into a defiant global movement, but Huwaida Arraf has been confronting Israel on land and at sea for more than two decades.
In 2025, she once again prepared to sail to Gaza on the ship Handala. This time, the stakes were different. As a mother of two, Huwaida navigated not only the risks of confronting a naval blockade, but also what it means to continue the fight while raising a family.
This is the story of how a small, unlikely mission at sea grew into an international movement, and what keeps its earliest leaders going despite the personal cost.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Al Jazeera Podcasts. |
| 0:07.0 | This is the moment that one woman and a crew of civilians confronted the Israeli Navy. |
| 0:17.0 | Israeli Navy, this is a civilian vessel. |
| 0:20.0 | Any blockade that deliberately starves a civilian population is a violation of international law. |
| 0:26.6 | Therefore, we demand that you stand down. |
| 0:29.8 | They're headed for Gaza, one of the most tightly controlled coastlines on Earth. |
| 0:35.5 | For nearly two decades, ordinary people have sailed small boats straight into a military |
| 0:41.3 | siege, backed by a superpower. |
| 0:43.3 | Israel will not allow the breach of a lawful naval blockade. |
| 0:48.3 | Any further refusal will put the responsibility on the flotilla organizers. Israel's blockade by land, air, and sea |
| 0:58.0 | has cut off 2 million Palestinians from food, medicine, and the outside world. |
| 1:04.0 | And most flotillas trying to break it were met with force. |
| 1:11.6 | In 2010, the response was lethal. |
| 1:16.6 | We had almost 700 people from about 36 different countries. |
| 1:20.6 | They killed 10 of our colleagues. |
| 1:22.6 | Six of those who were killed were most likely executed. |
| 1:26.6 | But despite the risks, the flotillas sail anyway. |
| 1:31.6 | I don't want my kids to grow up without a mom, but I also don't think that I cannot do this. |
| 1:39.1 | In 2025, the movement became the largest yet. |
| 1:43.3 | In 26, they sail again. |
| 1:46.8 | This is the flotillas, |
| 1:48.7 | a series in the movement to break the siege on Gaza. |
... |
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