All aboard Gaza aid flotilla confirmed safe after NGO reports drone attack

Valletta: A ship carrying humanitarian aid and activists heading for Gaza was bombed by drones while in international waters off Malta early on Friday, The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an international NGO said.

It uploaded video footage showing a fire on one of its ships but did not indicate who could have been responsible for the attack.

Freedom Flotilla says one of its ships was subjected to a drone attack.Credit: Freedom Flotilla Coalition via X

The Maltese government said in a statement late on Friday that everyone on board was “confirmed safe”.

“The vessel had 12 crew members on board and four civilian passengers; no casualties were reported,” the statement said, adding that a nearby tug had been directed to aid the vessel.

“The tug arrived on scene and began firefighting operations. By 1.28am, the fire was reported under control. An Armed Forces of Malta patrol vessel was also dispatched to provide further assistance,” the government said.

“By 2.13am, all crew were confirmed safe but refused to board the tug ... The ship remains outside territorial waters and is being monitored by the competent authorities.”

The ship issued an SOS distress call after being hit 31.5 kilometres east of Malta, to which Cyprus responded by dispatching a vessel, the charity said.

“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.

Australian Tania Safi, one of four Australian activists who had been preparing to board the ship in Malta and journey to Gaza, expressed deep concern over the safety of those aboard the vessel. They revealed that the last update received indicated that the fire on board had been extinguished, but the ship was still “filling with water very quickly.”

Speaking to the ABC, Safi described the situation as “abhorrent,” emphasising that the individuals on board were humanitarians simply “sitting there sleeping.”

“It’s just shocking. I’m terrified for their safety at the moment,” Safi said. Safi also strongly denied any allegations that the vessel was carrying weapons, asserting that “every single mission is done abiding to international law” and that “every single person is checked.”

Surya McEwen, an Australian activist from Goonengerry in Northern NSW, was also preparing to board the Conscience when reports surfaced that the ship had been struck.

McEwen confirmed to the ABC that the ship had lost power, placing it at “serious risk.” While the group had yet to gather direct evidence regarding the perpetrators of the strikes, McEwen stressed the urgency of the situation, noting that the vessel was in a critical condition.

The coalition is campaigning to end Israel’s naval blockade on the movement of goods and people in and out of Gaza, which has been in place since Hamas came to power in the region in 2007.

The Gaza war started after Hamas-led fighters killed 1200 people and took 251 hostages to Gaza in the October 7, 2023 attacks, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel’s offensive on the enclave killed more than 52,000, according to Palestinian health officials.

Another coalition ship on a similar mission to Gaza in 2010 was stopped and boarded by Israeli troops, and nine activists died. Other ships have similarly been stopped and boarded, without loss of life.

Reuters with Rob Harris

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