Drones strike ship carrying aid to Gaza, organisers say
No-one was hurt in the incident.
Drones attacked a vessel carrying aid to Gaza on Friday in international waters off Malta, the group organising the shipment said.
A fire broke out but was brought under control, according to authorities.
A nearby tugboat responded to a distress call from the Conscience, which was carrying 12 crew members and four civilians, Malta’s government said, adding that those aboard refused to leave the ship.
The group was safe and no injuries were reported, it said.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition accused Israel of attacking its ship. The group did not provide evidence for that claim or to show that the fire was caused by drones, but in a video it shared an explosion could be heard. Another video showed a fire blazing.
The Israeli army did not respond to a request for comment.
Israel has cut off Gaza from all imports, including food and medicine, since the beginning of March, leading to what is believed to be the worst humanitarian crisis in nearly 19 months of war with Hamas.
Israel says the blockade is an attempt to pressure the Palestinian militant group to release hostages it took during the October 7, 2023, attack that triggered the conflict.
Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel that day, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Hamas is still holding 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive.
In response, Israel launched an offensive that has killed more than 52,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians.
Israel’s bombardment and ground operations have destroyed vast areas of the territory and left most of its population homeless.
When an aid flotilla attempted to break a blockade of Gaza in 2010, Israeli forces stormed a Turkish ship, the Mavi Marmara, killing nine people on board.
On Friday, the Conscience was hit about 16 miles from Malta, according to the Freedom Flotilla.
Charlie Andreasson, who has been involved with the group for more than a decade, told The Associated Press that he had spoken to people on board who said there were two explosions and that a fire broke out.
Photos provided by the Cypriot authorities showed the ship with damage to its side. People on board the vessel were not immediately reachable for comment.
Earlier the group said the strike appeared to have targeted the ship’s generator, causing a “substantial breach in the hull” and leaving it without power. It said that put the vessel at risk of sinking.
According to the ship-monitoring website Marine Traffic, the Conscience left the Tunisian port of Bizerte on Tuesday and arrived on Thursday in the area where it reported being attacked. The organisers said the ship was hit on Friday, just after midnight.
Volunteers who had travelled to Malta were meant to board the ship to go to Gaza, the group said.
Mr Andreasson said climate activist Greta Thunberg was supposed to have participated. The organisation said Ms Thunberg did not board and was safe.
About two dozen volunteers, including Ms Thunberg, were taking smaller boats to the Conscience to assess the damage after the attack, said Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Codepink, a grassroots peace and social justice movement. Ms Benjamin said the ship’s crew are from Turkey and Azerbaijan.
“They still want to head toward Gaza, but I don’t know what shape the ship is in,” she said.
The attack happened as aid groups have warned that the humanitarian response in Gaza is on the verge of collapse.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said Friday it will not have access to food, medicine and life-saving supplies needed for many of its Gaza programmes if aid deliveries do not resume immediately.
Programmes at risk include “common kitchens” that often give residents the only meal they receive each day and could be forced to halt operations in a few weeks, the ICRC said.
“Aid must be allowed to enter Gaza. Hostages must be released. Civilians must be protected,” it said.
“Without immediate action, Gaza will descend further into chaos that humanitarian efforts will not be able to mitigate.”
