Activists say Israeli drones hit aid boat heading to Gaza

RTÉ News​

02-05-2025

A ship with humanitarian aid and activists for Gaza was struck by drones while in international waters off Malta early this morning, its organisers said, and the Maltese government said after a rescue operation that everyone on board was safe.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an international non-governmental group, published video footage showing a fire on one of its ships, named the Conscience, and accused Israel of being involved.
"Israeli ambassadors must be summoned and answer to violations of international law, including the ongoing blockade (of Gaza) and the bombing of our civilian vessel in international waters," it said.
The Maltese government said maritime authorities had received a mayday call from a vessel reporting a fire shortly after midnight local time.
The vessel was outside territorial waters and had 12 crew members and four civilians on board, the government said.
It said a nearby tug headed to the scene and launched firefighting operations and a Maltese patrol vessel was dispatched. After several hours, the vessel and its crew were secure, it said, adding that crew had refused to board the tug.
In an earlier social media post on the incident, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition had said the vessel was at risk of sinking with 30 international human rights activists on board.
The coalition is campaigning to end Israel's blockade of Gaza. It said it had been organising a non-violent action under a media blackout in order to avoid any potential sabotage.
BREAKING: 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. pic.twitter.com/J6oEQafuOb
— Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@GazaFFlotilla) May 2, 2025
"Volunteers from over 21 countries travelled to Malta to board the mission to Gaza, including prominent figures," it said in a fuller statement on its website.
"On the morning of their scheduled departure, the vessel was attacked. Armed drones attacked the front of an unarmed civilian vessel twice, causing a fire and a substantial breach in the hull. The last communication in the early morning of the 2nd of May, indicated the drones are still circling the ship."
It released video footage shot in the dark that showed lights in the sky in front of the ship and the sound of explosions. The footage also showed the vessel on fire.
Israel has since 2 March blocked all aid deliveries to Gaza and resumed intense military operations in the territory in mid-March, with a two-month ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in tatters.
A previous "freedom flotilla" launched from southern Turkey in 2010 ended in bloodshed when Israeli forces stormed the Mavi Marmara vessel, killing ten and wounding 28.
Humanitarian response in Gaza on 'verge of total collapse'
Meanwhile, the Red Cross has warned that the humanitarian response in Gaza was on the "verge of total collapse" after two months of Israel blocking aid to the war-torn Palestinian territory.
"Without an immediate resumption of aid deliveries, the International Committee of the Red Cross will not have access to the food, medicines, and life-saving supplies needed to sustain many of its programmes in Gaza," it said in a statement.
Israel strictly controls all inflows of international aid vital for the 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza.
It halted aid deliveries to Gaza days before the collapse of a ceasefire that had significantly reduced hostilities after 15 months of war.
Since the start of the blockade, the United Nations has repeatedly warned of the humanitarian catastrophe on the ground, with famine again looming.
"Civilians in Gaza are facing an overwhelming daily struggle to survive the dangers of hostilities, cope with relentless displacement, and endure the consequences of being deprived of urgent humanitarian assistance," Pascal Hundt, ICRC Deputy Director of Operations said in a statement.
"This situation must not - and cannot - be allowed to escalate further."
ICRC stressed that under international humanitarian law, "Israel has an obligation to use all means available to ensure that the basic needs of the civilian population under its control are met".
"If the blockage continues, programmes such as the ICRC common kitchens - which often provide the only meal people receive each day - will only be able to operate for a few more weeks," it warned.
The UN's World Food Programme said a week ago that it had sent out its "last remaining food stocks" to kitchens.
The ICRC cautioned that the field hospital it runs in Gaza was also "running dangerously low on food and medical supplies, with some essential medicines and consumables already exhausted".
"Disruption to water systems, including the closure of water pipelines and destruction of critical sewage trucks, has created an unacceptably high risk of waterborne diseases," it said.
This dire situation was compounded by repeated attacks impacting the work of healthcare facilities and personnel, ICRC said.
It highlighted the killing last month of 15 humanitarians and medical workers, including eight from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, and vast damage to hospitals in recent weeks, warning this "has further crippled Gaza's collapsing health system".
"International humanitarian law is clear: medical personnel and facilities must be respected and protected in all circumstances," ICRC said.
"Aid must be allowed to enter Gaza. Hostages must be released. Civilians must be protected," it said.
"Without immediate action, Gaza will descend further into chaos that humanitarian efforts will not be able to mitigate."
Hamas's attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which sparked the Gaza war, resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said yesterday that at least 2,326 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes in March, bringing the overall death toll since the war broke out to 52,418.