The Global Sumud Flotilla, a collection of vessels planning to try to break Israel’s blockade on the Gaza Strip, said early Tuesday that one of its main boats was attacked by a drone while stationary in Tunisian waters, though all six passengers and crew were safe.
Footage released by the group appeared to show a flaming object dropping onto the deck of the vessel from above, causing panic among the crew.
But Tunisian authorities claimed the explosion originated inside the vessel, and Tunisia’s National Guard spokesperson told Mosaique FM radio that reports of a drone attack on the flotilla “have no basis in truth.” It was not clear how this aligned with the video released by the group.
The Portuguese-flagged “Family,” carrying the flotilla’s steering committee, sustained fire damage to its main deck and below-deck storage, the GSF said in a statement.
As the lead boat, “Family” is set to carry Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and other activists when the flotilla sets sail on Wednesday.
Tunisia’s national guard said it had detected no drones.
“According to preliminary findings, a fire broke out in the life jackets on board a ship anchored 50 miles from the port of Sidi Bou Said, which had come from Spain,” National Guard spokesman Houcem Eddine Jebabli told AFP.
“The investigation is ongoing and no drone has been detected,” he added.
Flotilla organizers published footage of the incident, some of which showed a flaming object hitting the boat from above.
Portuguese activist Miguel Duarte, who was on board, was also shown describing what happened.
“I saw a drone clearly about four meters above my head,” he said, indicating it was about 50 centimeters across.
“It moved slowly to the forward part of the ship and dropped what was obviously a bomb on the forward part of the deck. There was a huge explosion, lots of fire, big, big flame.”
Asked how certain he was that there was a drone involved, Miguel responded, “One hundred percent it was a drone dropping a bomb on the forward deck of our ship.”
Francesca Albanese, the staunchly anti-Israel UN rapporteur on the Palestinians, tweeted that she was “at the port now trying to figure out the facts, with local authorities and flotilla people.”
The GSF said an investigation into the ostensible drone attack was underway and its results would be released once available.
“Acts of aggression aimed at intimidating and derailing our mission will not deter us. Our peaceful mission to break the siege on Gaza and stand in solidarity with its people continues with determination and resolve,” the GSF said.
The flotilla is an international initiative seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to war-torn Gaza via civilian boats, supported by delegations from 44 countries, including Thunberg and Portuguese left-wing politician Mariana Mortagua.
After the alleged strike, dozens of people gathered outside Tunisia’s Sidi Bou Said port, where the flotilla’s boats were docked, waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Free Palestine,” a Reuters witness said.
Israel, supported by Egypt, has imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, saying it aims to stop weapons from reaching the terror group.
The blockade has remained in place through conflicts, including the current war, which began when Hamas led thousands of terrorists to invade southern Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 and taking about 251 hostages.
Israel sealed off Gaza by land in early March, letting in no supplies for three months, arguing that Hamas was diverting aid. That continued until May 26, when the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started distributing aid, though aid groups and the United Nations continue to warn of famine and a food crisis in the Strip.
Israel accuses Hamas of diverting aid to itself, denying Gaza’s civilians supplies.
The Global Sumud Flotilla calls itself an independent organization with no affiliation to any government or political party. The flotilla departing from Tunis has been delayed due to “technical and logistical reasons,” its organizers said.
The boats departed Barcelona more than a week ago but were forced back to the port due to poor weather, heading out again two days later.
The flotilla is slated to attempt to arrive in Gaza later this month, although it is expected that it will be intercepted by the Israeli Navy.
In June, Israel intercepted a ship carrying Thunberg and other activists, towed them to shore and deported them from the country. And in July, 21 activists from 10 countries were intercepted as they tried to approach Gaza in another vessel, the Handala.
Israel has accused the activists of attention-seeking, carrying only a symbolic amount of aid that will not make an impact on the Gaza Strip. Aid agencies have said that famine conditions have reached parts of Gaza, a charge denied by Israel, which says it is boosting humanitarian deliveries to the Strip and working to ensure aid is not diverted by Hamas.