Drones strike ship carrying aid to Gaza, organizers say
VALETTA
A group of activists organizing an aid boat for Gaza said it was attacked on May 2 by drones in international waters off Malta as they headed towards the Palestinian territory, accusing Israel of attacking the vessel.
The Maltese government said it responded to a distress call from the vessel and offered immediate support.
It said all crew members were safe, while making no mention of an alleged attack.
"At 00:23 Maltese time (22:23 GMT on May 1), the Conscience, a Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship came under direct attack in international waters," the activist group said in a statement.
"Armed drones attacked the front of an unarmed civilian vessel twice, causing a fire and a substantial breach in the hull," it added, blaming Israel.
"Israeli ambassadors must be summoned and answer to violations of international law, including the ongoing blockade and the bombing of our civilian vessel in international waters."
The Israeli military did not provide a statement, but an unsourced report claimed that the ship is affiliated with Hamas.
“Some define the ship attacked next to Malta as Hamas-affiliated and say that it was a sophisticated aerial attack,” Yedioth Ahronoth military correspondent Yossi Yehoshua wrote on X.
The strike appeared to target the boat's generator, according to activists.
Following the distress call, the Malta Vessel Traffic Services body dispatched a tugboat and offered support, bringing the fire under control.
The activists said another vessel was dispatched from Greek Cyprus after the aid boat sent out a distress signal, though Greek Cypriot authorities have yet to confirm this.
The activists were on what they called a "mission to challenge Israel's illegal and deadly siege of Gaza, and to deliver desperately needed, life-saving aid.”
Israel has since March 2 blocked all aid deliveries to Gaza and resumed intense military operations in the territory in mid-March, with a two-month ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in tatters.
A previous "Freedom Flotilla" launched from southern Türkiye in 2010 ended in bloodshed when Israeli forces stormed the Mavi Marmara vessel, killing 10 and wounding 28. That led to a breakdown in Turkish-Israeli relations.
Both Hamas and the Palestine Liberation Organization, which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas leads, issued statements condemning the incident.
Hamas said the incident showed Israel's "blatant disregard for the will of humanity and justice.”
This came as the Red Cross warned that the humanitarian response in Gaza was on the "verge of total collapse" after two months of Israel blocking aid to the territory.
