A ship carrying humanitarian aid and activists heading to Gaza was struck by Israeli drones on Friday, while in international waters off Malta, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an international NGO, stated.
Around 12:23 a.m. local time in Malta, the Freedom Flotilla ship, carrying 30 volunteers from over 21 countries, came under a drone attack.
“At 00:23 Maltese time, a #FreedomFlotilla ship was subjected to a drone attack. The front of the vessel was targeted twice, resulting in a fire and a breach in the hull. The ship is currently located in international waters near #Malta. An #SOS distress signal was sent,” the coalition said in a post on X.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an alliance of nonviolent campaigners working to end Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza, has released video footage showing a fire on one of its ships following a drone attack.
As seen in the video, smoke and flames began to rise from the front deck, suggesting that the attackers likely targeted the ship’s forward generator, which immediately ignited.
A significant breach is visible in the ship’s forward hull, with a large hole at the waterline allowing water to seep in.
The situation remains critical as water enters the damaged vessel, while rescue operations are underway.
According to reports, the drone strike appears to have deliberately targeted the ship’s generator, leaving the crew without power and putting the vessel at significant risk of sinking.
The coalition alleged that the Maltese government did not immediately respond to the SOS signal from the civilian humanitarian vessel, though under international maritime law, Malta is obligated to take action and ensure the safety of any civilian ship in distress within its proximity.
“ Under international maritime law and conventions Malta is obliged to act and ensure the safety of a civilian ship in distress within its proximity. The lack of response and information about the rescue efforts breaches international customary law,” said Free Gaza Australia in a statement.
Cyprus responded to the SOS distress signal by dispatching a rescue vessel, and later, the Armed Forces of Malta sent a patrol boat to assist with firefighting and potential rescue operations.
“This is a direct action to Gaza, a peaceful, non-violent mission delivering humanitarian aid to people who have been deliberately starved. These actions are kept under wraps, with a media blackout likely due to Israeli sabotage. This is what we are facing, in the middle of the night, our flotilla was attacked,” said activist Tania Safi in a video message from aboard the ship.
““There is fire, and water is coming into the ship. We are in shock. We need people to ensure that the humanitarian SOS has been ignored for hours now,” she said.
“It is a war crime,” said Yasmin, another activist aboard the ship.
“They have attacked the vessel carrying peaceful activists who are on their way to break the total blockade of food, water, and humanitarian aid.”
“This is a war crime, either by Israel or its allies. One thing is clear, they do not want to help the Palestinians; they want to starve them. We are talking about two million people, including children, who are being starved.” She said.
“All of these countries that are complicit, they know about this, and they are part of this attack. We shouldn’t be scared of governments or repression when two million people are starving and have been attacked for almost two years. We cannot stop.”
UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine, Francesca Albanese, urged the relevant state authorities, including maritime authorities, to provide support to the ship and its crew as needed.
“ I received a distressed call from the people of the Freedom Flotilla that is carrying essential food and medicine to the starving Gaza population. I call on concerned state authorities, including maritime authorities, to support the ship and its crew as needed. I trust the competent authorities will also ascertain the facts and intervene appropriately,” she wrote on X.
Meanwhile, the Maltese government said on Friday that everyone aboard is “confirmed safe.”
“The tug arrived at the scene and immediately began firefighting operations. By 1:28 a.m. (2328 GMT Thursday), the fire was reported to be under control. An Armed Forces of Malta patrol vessel was also dispatched to offer additional assistance,” the government stated.
The government further stated that, “By 2:13 a.m., all crew members were confirmed to be safe but chose not to board the tug. The ship remains outside territorial waters and continues to be monitored by the relevant authorities.”
Free Gaza Australia urged the international community to condemn this aggression against the unarmed humanitarian aid vessel and demanded that the Maltese authorities act immediately.
The group called on all states to end political, financial, and military support for Israel’s illegal siege, blockade, occupation, and apartheid.
“Israeli ambassadors must be summoned to answer for violations of international law, including the ongoing blockade and the bombing of our civilian vessel in international waters,” they said.
In 2010, at least 10 pro-Palestinian activists were killed in a similar Israeli attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, a convoy of six ships carrying 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza, leaving around fifty civilians wounded, many of them severely.
Since March 2, 2025, Israel has barred all aid trucks from entering Gaza,i ncluding food, water and medicine from entering Gaza
Humanitarian experts estimate the population in Gaza requires at least 600 aid trucks each day to meet even the most basic needs, yet not a single truck has been allowed in for two months.
The continued blockade is the longest such closure the Gaza Strip has ever faced, and came as Israeli forces continued bombarding the territory, killing at least 30 Palestinians on Wednesday alone.
