A flotilla bound for Gaza carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists has set sail from Tunisia after repeated delays, aiming to break Israel’s blockade and establish a humanitarian corridor to the Palestinian territory, AFP reports.

“We are also trying to send a message to the people of Gaza that the world has not forgotten about you,” Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg said before boarding in the northern port of Bizerte.

“When our governments are failing to step up, then we have no choice but to take matters into our own hands,” she told AFP.

Around 20 boats that had sailed from Barcelona converged in Bizerte, with the last vessels leaving at dawn, an AFP journalist reported.

Yasemin Acar, who helps coordinate the flotilla from the Maghreb, posted images on Instagram of boats also departing in the early hours. “The blockade of Gaza must end” and “We are leaving for solidarity, dignity and justice”, the caption said.