An international aid flotilla en route to Gaza reported being targeted for the second consecutive night in the Mediterranean, as a drone struck one of its boats docked in Tunisian waters. The incident occurred on Wednesday, with the flotilla releasing CCTV footage that captured activists aboard the UK-flagged vessel Alma yelling “fire” and gesturing towards the sky.
The footage reveals flames erupting on the deck as projectiles ignited and exploded. Fortunately, no crew members were injured during the attack. Thiago Ávila, a Brazilian activist and spokesperson for the flotilla, stated,
“A drone came and dropped another incendiary device.”
In addition, the group shared an image of a scorched object, purportedly the drone’s dropped device, which contributed to the fire. Ávila reassured that despite the chaos, the fire was contained, resulting in no structural damage to the Alma and no injuries to the team, as they persist in their mission to challenge the blockade of Gaza.
Details of the attack and ongoing mission
This latest drone strike echoed a similar attack the previous night on the Portuguese-flagged vessel Family. Both the Alma and Family serve as the flagship vessels for the flotilla, providing essential support and supplies to smaller boats and carrying notable figures, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau.
The flotilla, comprising about 20 boats, aims to deliver a limited quantity of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, with plans to make a stop in Tunis to allow additional boats to join their cause. Activists described these recurrent drone strikes as part of a deliberate effort to distract from and undermine their humanitarian mission, stating,
“These repeat attacks come during intensified Israeli aggression on Palestinians in Gaza and are an orchestrated attempt to distract and derail our mission.”
Context and history of previous assaults
Tunisian coastal police were observed accompanying the flotilla boats off the coast of Sidi Bou Saïd on Wednesday morning. Prior to this incident, Tunisian authorities had denied allegations that drones were responsible for the first attack and indicated that an investigation was underway. The Interior Ministry, coast guard, and judicial authorities have not yet released a statement regarding the latest occurrence.
This is not the first time activists attempting to breach the blockade of Gaza have faced aerial assaults. A vessel was reportedly targeted by drones in international waters near Malta in May. Additionally, an overland convoy attempting to cross North Africa toward Gaza faced obstructions from security forces allied with Egypt in eastern Libya.
While the footage shared by the flotilla did not explicitly show drones, some videos captured sounds associated with unmanned aircraft. Participants have noted the presence of drones hovering above them since departing from Barcelona on September 1, particularly in the moments leading up to the attacks.
Although lacking definitive evidence, activists have directed blame at Israel, which has intercepted other activist vessels attempting to reach Gaza by sea in the past.
“Israel has done this on other occasions, to send a drone to sabotage some of the flotilla’s boats. This has happened before,”
Colau remarked on Tuesday. Israel has yet to address these allegations, historically characterizing flotillas as publicity stunts, asserting that the blockade is crucial to preventing smuggling, especially of weapons.
In a related development, Israel’s far-right Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has proposed classifying flotilla participants as security prisoners, which could lead to their prolonged detention. He is also advocating for similar designations for protesters in Israel opposing the war, although the likelihood of these proposals being enacted remains uncertain. Should Israel intercept the flotilla again, its members are expected to face rapid deportation, akin to previous incidents.