Gaza aid flotilla returns to Barcelona after fierce winds

Fierce Mediterranean winds forced back to Barcelona a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying humanitarian aid and hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists including environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg, organisers said on Monday.

Read more: 'Israel' on high alert as Gaza-bound flotilla approaches

"Due to unsafe weather conditions, we conducted a sea trial and then returned to port to allow the storm to pass," the Global Sumud Flotilla said in a statement of Sunday's departure, without specifying when exactly the boats returned to Barcelona.

"We made this decision to prioritize the safety of all participants and preserve the success of our mission," the statement added.

The "Global Sumud Flotilla: of around 20 ships left the Spanish city on Sunday with the goal of "opening a humanitarian corridor and ending the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza."

Spanish media reported that organizers were set to meet to decide whether to resume the journey later Monday.

Participants

The flotilla includes activists from dozens of countries, such as Greta Thunberg, Irish actor Liam Cunningham, Spanish actor Eduard Fernández, and former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau.

The ships are expected to reach Gaza in mid-September. The flotilla's attempt comes after ‘Israel’ prevented two previous efforts by activists to deliver aid by sea in June and July.

The United Nations has declared a famine in Gaza, warning that 500,000 people are facing "catastrophic" conditions.