Italy on Wednesday told Israel to ensure the safety of participants in the Gaza-bound flotilla, after organizers said several of their boats had been targeted by multiple drones off Greece and said it was sending a warship to provide the pro-Palestinian activists with assistance.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said there were “Italian citizens, along with members of parliament and MEPs” among the pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel activists in the Global Sumud Flotilla, which reported hearing more than a dozen nearby explosions as it sailed off Greece late Tuesday.

It also reported damage caused by “unidentified objects” dropped on deck.

“To ensure their safety, the foreign ministry had already notified Israeli authorities that any operation entrusted to Israeli forces must be conducted in compliance with international law and the principle of absolute caution,” the ministry said in a statement.

“Minister Tajani has asked the Italian Embassy in Tel Aviv to gather information and to reiterate its previous request to the Israeli government to guarantee the absolute protection of the personnel on board,” it said.

Tajani said at the time that 58 Italians were participating in the flotilla, including some lawmakers.

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto activated a navy frigate to be on hand for possible rescue operations.

Crosetto said the Italian Navy’s frigate Fasan, which was sailing north of Crete, was “already heading towards the area for possible rescue operations.” Italy has informed Israel about the decision.

“In a democracy, demonstrations and forms of protest must also be protected when they are carried out in accordance with international law and without resorting to violence,” Crosetto said.

The Global Sumud Flotilla set sail from Barcelona earlier this month with the aim of breaking the Israeli blockade of Gaza and delivering symbolic aid to the territory.

It currently numbers 51 vessels, most of which are off the Greek island of Crete.

Vessels waiting to join the flotilla had already been targeted in two suspected drone attacks in Tunisia. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was among those who boarded in the North African nation.

Thunberg on Wednesday called the strikes a “scare tactic” and implored the flotilla’s supporters to stay focused on Gaza rather than on the activists sailing in the Mediterranean Sea. She said that damage to the fleet was being assessed.

“We were aware of the risks of these kinds of attacks and that’s not something that’s going to stop us,” Thunberg said on a livestream on Wednesday morning.

“The most important thing isn’t that we were hit by drones. Drones are something that Palestinians experience 24-7,” she added.

Simone Zambrin, an Italian activist with the flotilla, said that drones “have been flying over our heads for days now” and on Wednesday “dropped devices at our boats, damaging both the sails and the hearing of some of our crew members.”

“We expected it because it is a rhetoric that is part of what Israel is trying to do with regard to missions like ours,” Zambrin said. “It tries to instill fear because it is afraid of our arrival.”

Greg Stoker, an American activist on board one of the boats, said in a social media post that the vessel’s VHF radio communications also suffered interference, with the jammers playing an ABBA song over the VHF channel the flotilla was using.

Israel blocked two previous attempts by activists to reach Gaza by sea in June and July.

Israel said Monday it would not allow the boats to reach Gaza, accusing the flotilla of serving the Hamas terror group. It said the flotilla could offload the aid in Ashkelon, from where it would be transferred to Gaza.

However, Israel insists that it will not be allowed to breach the naval blockade, which it imposed in 2007 in a bid to stop the import of weapons after Hamas overthrew the Palestinian Authority and took control of Gaza.

Israel has come under huge international pressure over its war in Gaza, which was sparked by the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre that killed some 1,200 people and saw another 251 taken hostage.

The war has sparked a dire humanitarian crisis in the Strip, with most of the population displaced.