Activist flotilla seeking to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza says drones attacked its boats

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ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Activists taking part in a flotilla seeking to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza said Wednesday that some of their boats were attacked by drones overnight while sailing south of Greece.

The Global Sumud Flotilla said it was attacked during the night by “unidentified drones and communications jamming.” It said that “at least 13 explosions" were heard on and around several flotilla boats, while drones or aircraft dropped “unidentified objects” on at least 10 boats.

No casualties were reported but there was damage to the vessels and “widespread obstruction in communications,” it added.

Activists posted a brief video on the flotilla’s social media account showing what appeared to be an explosion on or near one of the vessels. Greece’s coast guard did not report any distress calls.

There was no immediate response to questions regarding the attack from the Israeli military.

The flotilla, comprised of dozens of boats from several countries, is carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, for Palestinians in Gaza.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has accused organizers of being linked to Hamas, and says it has proposed that the activists unload their aid in the Israeli port of Ashkelon for it to be transported into Gaza.

“Israel will not allow vessels to enter an active combat zone and will not allow the breach of a lawful naval blockade,” the ministry said on Monday. “Israel urges the participants not to break the law and to accept Israel’s proposal for a peaceful transfer of any aid they might have.”

Italian citizens, including members of parliament and members of the European parliament, are participating in the flotilla, and Italy's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it had “notified the Israeli authorities that any operation entrusted to Israel’s armed forces be conducted in compliance with international law and the principle of absolute caution.”

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

The flotilla has reported several attacks since it set sail from Spain on Sept. 1, including two while some of its boats were in Tunisian waters.

The convoy is claimed to be the largest attempt to date to break the Israeli maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has now lasted 18 years, long predating the current war in Gaza.

The almost two-year war has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry does not say how many were civilians or combatants, but says more than half have been women and children.

The world’s leading authority on hunger crises said last month that Israel’s blockade and ongoing offensive had already pushed Gaza City into famine. More than 300,000 people have fled the city in recent weeks as Israel has ordered the population to move south, but an estimated 700,000 remain, according to U.N. agencies and aid groups.

The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants carried out an attack inside Israel that killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, saw about 250 people taken hostage. Israel says its operation in Gaza is aimed at pressuring Hamas to surrender and return the remaining 48 hostages. Israel believes around 20 of the captives are still alive.

It is not the first time that activists trying to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza have come under attack.

Another vessel said it was attacked by drones in May in international waters off Malta. An overland convoy traveling across North Africa also attempted to reach the border but was blocked by security forces aligned with Egypt in eastern Libya.

In 2010, Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara, a boat participating in an aid flotilla attempting to breach the blockade of Gaza, killing 10 Turkish activists on board.