Early Friday, drones bombed a ship carrying humanitarian aid and activists to Gaza. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an international NGO, reported the attack occurred in international waters off Malta.
The NGO uploaded video footage showing a fire on one of its ships. They did not indicate who was responsible for the attack. There was no immediate indication whether anyone had been hurt.
“The drone attack appears to have specifically targeted the ship’s generator, and the vessel is now at risk of sinking with 30 international human rights activists on board,” the NGO said in a social media post.
The ship issued an SOS distress call after a hit occurred 17 nautical miles (31.5 kilometers) east of Malta. Cyprus responded by dispatching a vessel, the charity said.
The coalition is campaigning to end Israel’s blockade of Gaza.
According to Israeli tallies, Hamas-led fighters killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages to Gaza in the October 7, 2023 attacks. “Since then, Israel’s offensive on the enclave killed more than 52,000, according to Palestinian health officials.”
In 2010, Israeli troops stopped and boarded another coalition ship on a similar mission to Gaza. Nine activists died. Authorities have similarly stopped and boarded other ships, but without loss of life.
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