Activists supporting the Palestinian cause set sail from Barcelona towards Gaza.

Footage shows a flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian aid and demonstrators departing the port on August 31.

Supporters waved flags and cheered as the ships set out on their journey.

It is reportedly the largest attempt yet to break Israel's long-standing naval blockade of the Palestinian territory.

The Global Sumud Flotilla is carrying food, water, and medicine. Protesters on board have demanded safe passage to deliver the aid and the opening of a humanitarian sea corridor.

The event comes amid growing global concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis in northern Gaza, where a United Nations panel recently declared a famine.

Researchers claim that more than 20 per cent of households are facing extreme food shortages, 30 per cent of children under five are suffering from acute malnutrition, and mortality rates have surpassed emergency thresholds.

Palestinian health officials said that at least 361 people, including 130 children, have died from hunger in Gaza since the war began.

Israel has blitzed the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a terror attack by the governing party Hamas on a Jewish music festival on October 7, 2023.

However, the situation, which Israel claims is self-defence, has attracted criticism from around the world.