Activists say Israeli drones hit aid boat heading for Gaza
Everyone aboard an aid flotilla for Gaza that was hit by drones in international waters off Malta overnight are "confirmed safe", the Maltese government said in a statement.
"The vessel had 12 crew members on board and four civilian passengers; no casualties were reported," the statement said, adding that a nearby tug had been directed to aid the vessel.
"The tug arrived on scene and began firefighting operations. By 1.28 a.m (12.28am Irish time), the fire was reported under control. An Armed Forces of Malta patrol vessel was also dispatched to provide further assistance," the government said.
"By 2.13am, all crew were confirmed safe but refused to board the tug ... The ship remains outside territorial waters and is being monitored by the competent authorities," the statement concluded.
In a statement, the group of activists that organised the aid boat said it was attacked by Israeli drones in international waters off Malta as they headed towards the Palestinian territory.
"At 12.23am Maltese time, the Conscience, a Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship came under direct attack in international waters," the group said.
"Armed drones attacked the front of an unarmed civilian vessel twice, causing a fire and a substantial breach in the hull," it added, blaming Israel.
"Israeli ambassadors must be summoned and answer to violations of international law, including the ongoing blockade and the bombing of our civilian vessel in international waters."
Israel has not commented on the allegation.
The strike, the activists said, appeared to target the boat's generator. It left the boat without power and at risk of sinking, the statement added.
The statement said a vessel was dispatched from Cyprus after the aid boat sent out a distress signal, and that Italian authorities said they had sent another boat to the scene.
The group said activists from 21 countries were on board. They are on what it called a "mission to challenge Israel's illegal and deadly siege of Gaza, and to deliver desperately needed, life-saving aid".
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 10 and wounding 28.
Hamas's attack on Israel in 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, bringing the overall death toll since the war broke out to 52,418.
Meanwhile, the Red Cross 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 (ICRC) 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.
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