A protest group on a flotilla of vessels headed for the shores of the Gaza Strip carrying humanitarian aid, over the objections of the Israeli government, said early on Wednesday that its communications had been jammed, drones had flown overhead and attacked, and that explosions were heard from some boats.
The boats are part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a group protesting Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip with a mission to deliver food to the enclave amid the humanitarian crisis there. In recent days, it has been in conflict with the Israeli authorities, who have called on the flotilla to deliver the goods to Israel for transfer to Gaza. The group suggested in its social media posts that Israel could be involved in the latest attack on the flotilla.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In one post late on Tuesday, the group said drones had hovered over one boat for hours, “appearing roughly every 10 minutes.” It added, “We believe these drones are intended to intimidate, potentially gathering intelligence for Israel.”
Shortly afterward, the group said that explosions could be heard on a nearby boat, and communications were being jammed as drones flew overhead. The group suggested “Israel and its allies” were involved.
“We are witnessing these psychological operations firsthand, right now, but we will not be intimidated,” it said, pledging the ships would “continue to sail.”
One video posted by the group showed what appeared to be a flash bang accompanied by a loud explosion. Another video showed a flotilla passenger saying that at least four ships had been targeted with drones and that the attack was continuing.
Francesca Albanese, an international lawyer and special rapporteur to the United Nations on Occupied Palestinian Territories who has been vocal about her opposition to the war in Gaza and her support for the flotilla, posted about the maritime attack on social media. She called on the international community to protect the boats, declaring, “Hands off the Flotilla!”
Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who was on a boat bound for Gaza intercepted by Israel in June and in February, called on President Emmanuel Macron of France for assistance. “Several dozen French nationals are present on board the flotilla!” She wrote on social media. “These attacks must stop!”
The videos could not be independently verified by The New York Times. Global Sumud Flotilla did not specify where its vessels were at the time of the attack, but in a post on Tuesday, the group suggested that its boats are near Greece and days away from reaching Gaza. A representative for the flotilla did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Tensions between the aid group and the Israeli government have been running high. Israel’s foreign ministry has told the group to deposit its aid at a port in Israel so that “it can be forwarded promptly to the Gaza Strip in a peaceful and nonviolent manner,” adding that the group’s refusal to do so shows “the insincerity of the flotilla members.”
Israel has accused the group of having ties to Hamas and has vowed to “take the necessary measures to prevent its entry into the combat zone.”
The Israeli authorities say that the group would be violating a lawful naval blockade, while flotilla members have accused Israel of violating international law with its restrictions on aid to Gaza and by thwarting missions to deliver food to civilians.
Global monitors say that extreme hunger is widespread in Gaza and that parts of it are now experiencing famine. Conditions there have grown increasingly dire over nearly two years of war, set off by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The Israeli authorities have turned away aid groups trying to reach Gaza by sea before.
In May, a Gaza-bound ship called Conscience was hit by explosions and an ensuing fire, halting the mission off the coast of Malta. In June, Israel intercepted the Madleen, whose passengers included the activist Greta Thunberg and Ms. Hassan. In July, another vessel, called the Handala, was intercepted by Israel.
Those boats were operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, one of a number of groups that have since united to form the Global Sumud Flotilla.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right national security minister, threatened this month to designate members of aid flotillas as terrorists and to detain them as such.
Earlier this month, the Global Sumud Flotilla said one of its boats had been attacked while at port in Tunisia. The Tunisian National Guard said in a statement that there was no evidence that a ship had been attacked, dismissing social media reports to the contrary as “baseless.” Initial investigations indicated that there had been a fire started by a cigarette or lighter.