Latest news with #YaseminAcar
The National
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Freedom Flotilla crew stranded off Malta coast after 'Israeli strike'
Organisers of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition have blamed Israel for the alleged attack and said that 12 people have been left on board the vessel while six Turkish citizens were taken to Turkey after the alleged attack on Friday. No lives were lost but four sailors were left with minor burns and cuts. The group, which is taking aid shipments to Gaza, say they are in negotiations with the Maltese authorities, saying their demands to carry out their own investigation on the Conscience were denied. Yasemin Acar, a member of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition's steering committee, told The National that the vessel is floating in the Mediterranean Sea 17 miles off the coast of Malta and that crew members had supplies to keep them fed and hydrated. 'They have enough because the vessel carries humanitarian aid,' she said. 'Food and water is of course on the vessel.' The 'precise attack' which came 'probably from Israel' happened shortly after midnight on May 2, according to Acar, and flight tracking data analysed by CNN has found that an Israeli Air Force cargo plane flew over Malta for 'several hours' before the time the ship was allegedly bombed. Asked why she believed Israel was responsible, Acar said: 'Who else would attack a humanitarian vessel carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza? Who else could it be?' READ MORE: Palestinians in Gaza speak out as Israel starves them Acar said Malta had refused requests for members of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition to oversee an investigation of their vessel, but that a 'survey' by the Maltese authorities was carried out on Monday. She said: 'Our demand was that we have our own investigators with them to oversee the whole process and know what's being done but that wasn't allowed. None of our demands were heard or accepted. 'Right now, we're trying to get our vessel to the Malta shore, so they can dock here so the repairs can be done here.' 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. — Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@GazaFFlotilla) May 2, 2025 The group has not been in touch with the crew members who were 'rushed' away from the scene and taken to Turkey, Acar said. 'We have not been in touch with them, we could not be in touch with them, we were not allowed on the ship,' she added. READ MORE: Palestinian ambassador demands UK 'enforces' international law in Gaza 'Yesterday, unfortunately, we were not told where they were brought, we were only told that they were being picked up. They were immediately put in a van and rushed to the airport. We do not know why it was so difficult or they didn't want us to get in touch.' In a statement issued on Friday, the Maltese government said that firefighters put out the fire on the boat around an hour after receiving a mayday call. The statement added: 'The ship remains outside territorial waters and being monitored by the competent authorities.' The Maltese government was approached for comment.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Activists say aid vessel bound for Gaza was struck by drone
Activists are demanding an investigation after they say a humanitarian ship headed to Gaza was bombed by a drone in the Mediterranean Sea overnight Friday. The passenger vessel Conscience made a mayday call shortly after midnight, reporting a fire on its bow, the government of Malta said. The ship, located off the coast of Malta in international waters at the time, was being operated by activists with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which is campaigning to end Israel's ongoing blockade of aid into Gaza. MORE: WFP delivers its last stocks of food in Gaza as malnutrition worsens, agency says Israel began the aid blockade on March 2 after the end of the temporary ceasefire deal, saying they were imposing the blockade to put pressure on Hamas to release the remaining Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel. Malta's government said that 12 crew members and four civilian passengers were on board and none were injured. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the reported attack. FFC spokesperson Yasemin Acar told ABC News in a video interview from Valletta, the capital of Malta, that most of those aboard were asleep when they awoke to the sound of an explosion, Acar said the vessel was struck twice "which why they knew they were under attack." The group claims the blasts were caused by a drone whose immediate origin the group did not know. ABC News has not been able to verify the group's claims. MORE: Gaza on the brink: Closed border crossings push population toward famine Video and photos provided by the FFC showed fire and smoke on board Conscience, as well as damage to the bow of the vessel in the aftermath of the reported attack. ABC News showed the FCC photos showing the damaged sustained to the Conscience to Trevor Ball, a former U.S. Army explosive ordinance disposal specialist. "The damage is consistent with two small blast munitions, which can be deployed by drone," Ball said. "You'd need remnants to confirm that though, well as country of origin." Acar said the vessel had been carrying humanitarian aid, which Israel's government is not allowing to enter Gaza. In an online statement, the FFC called for an investigation into the reported attack and demanded that "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." ABC News has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. State Department for comment on the incident. The moments after the reported strike are visible in ship tracking data from MarineTraffic. Shortly after midnight, the Conscience can be seen veering off its course. According to MarineTraffic, the vessel left Bizerte, Tunisia, on Wednesday and was scheduled to dock in Malta on Friday. There, the FFC said, the vessel planned to bring aboard more passengers -- including climate activist Greta Thunberg and retired US Army Colonel Mary Ann Wright -- before continuing on to Gaza. Data from online flight tracker ADSBExchange shows that a military transport plane operated by Israel's military flew over Malta in the hours before the attack. The Lockheed KC-130H plane entered Maltese airspace at around 3:25 p.m. local time. Data shows the plane flying in a zig-zag pattern around the eastern coast of Malta at an altitude as low as 4,350 feet before beginning its return to Israel at around 7:30 p.m. local time, nearly five hours before the reported attack on Conscience. -ABC News' Dana Savir and Benjamin Siu contributed to this report. Activists say aid vessel bound for Gaza was struck by drone originally appeared on
03-05-2025
- Politics
Activists say aid vessel bound for Gaza was struck by drone
Activists are demanding an investigation after they say a humanitarian ship headed to Gaza was bombed by a drone in the Mediterranean Sea overnight Friday. The passenger vessel Conscience made a mayday call shortly after midnight, reporting a fire on its bow, the government of Malta said. The ship, located off the coast of Malta in international waters at the time, was being operated by activists with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which is campaigning to end Israel's ongoing blockade of aid into Gaza. Israel began the aid blockade on March 2 after the end of the temporary ceasefire deal, saying they were imposing the blockade to put pressure on Hamas to release the remaining Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel. Malta's government said that 12 crew members and four civilian passengers were on board and none were injured. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the reported attack. FFC spokesperson Yasemin Acar told ABC News in a video interview from Valletta, the capital of Malta, that most of those aboard were asleep when they awoke to the sound of an explosion, Acar said the vessel was struck twice "which why they knew they were under attack." The group claims the blasts were caused by a drone whose immediate origin the group did not know. ABC News has not been able to verify the group's claims. Video and photos provided by the FFC showed fire and smoke on board Conscience, as well as damage to the bow of the vessel in the aftermath of the reported attack. ABC News showed the FCC photos showing the damaged sustained to the Conscience to Trevor Ball, a former U.S. Army explosive ordinance disposal specialist. "The damage is consistent with two small blast munitions, which can be deployed by drone," Ball said. "You'd need remnants to confirm that though, well as country of origin." Acar said the vessel had been carrying humanitarian aid, which Israel's government is not allowing to enter Gaza. In an online statement, the FFC called for an investigation into the reported attack and demanded that "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." ABC News has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. State Department for comment on the incident. The moments after the reported strike are visible in ship tracking data from MarineTraffic. Shortly after midnight, the Conscience can be seen veering off its course. According to MarineTraffic, the vessel left Bizerte, Tunisia, on Wednesday and was scheduled to dock in Malta on Friday. There, the FFC said, the vessel planned to bring aboard more passengers -- including climate activist Greta Thunberg and retired US Army Colonel Mary Ann Wright -- before continuing on to Gaza. Data from online flight tracker ADSBExchange shows that a military transport plane operated by Israel's military flew over Malta in the hours before the attack. The Lockheed KC-130H plane entered Maltese airspace at around 3:25 p.m. local time. Data shows the plane flying in a zig-zag pattern around the eastern coast of Malta at an altitude as low as 4,350 feet before beginning its return to Israel at around 7:30 p.m. local time, nearly five hours before the reported attack on Conscience.
Egypt Independent
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Aid ship bound for Gaza catches fire after alleged Israeli drone attack off Malta
CNN — A Gaza-bound activist aid ship caught fire and issued an SOS, after what its organizers claimed was an Israeli drone attack off the coast of Malta in international waters in the early hours of Friday. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which is campaigning to end Israel's blockade of Gaza, told CNN activists were aboard its ship carrying humanitarian aid when the alleged attack happened just after midnight local time (6 p.m. ET Thursday). The group is yet to provide evidence that the drone was Israeli, while the Israeli military has declined to comment on the alleged attack. 'There is a hole in the vessel right now and the ship is sinking,' Yasemin Acar, the coalition's press officer, told CNN by phone from Malta on Friday morning. Malta's government said the 68-foot-long ship was carrying 16 people – 12 crew members and four civilian passengers. But FFC earlier gave CNN a higher figure of 30 people on board the vessel. The Armed Forces of Malta confirmed there was a fire on a ship that was later extinguished. 'We are monitoring the situation closely,' a spokesperson told CNN, adding that there were no injuries onboard. In a later statement, Malta's government said a tug boat had been sent to assist the vessel. 'All crew were confirmed safe but refused to board the tug. Assistance was provided to support interior firefighting efforts,' the Maltese government statement said. The ship, the Conscience, was heading to Malta, where a large contingent of activists were due to board before it departed for Gaza, more than 1,000 miles away, but had not made it into port, the group said. FFC told CNN that climate activist Greta Thunberg and retired US Army Colonel Mary Ann Wright were among those who were expected to board the vessel in Malta, but were not onboard at the time of the fire. 'Volunteers from over 21 countries traveled to Malta to board the mission to Gaza, including prominent figures,' FFC said in a statement. Thiago Avila, the flotilla's lead organizer, told CNN that he and other activists took a boat out to the flotilla to try and provide assistance to their colleagues late Friday afternoon, but Maltese sea guards surrounding the vessel prevented them from getting near it. 'We will try to go back again tomorrow morning,' Avila said. When asked by CNN for comment, the Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta said the vessel and the crew are secure, and that the ship remains outside territorial waters and is being monitored by authorities. Late Friday, the FFC said the flotilla was still trying to enter Maltese territorial waters, but was being prevented by the coast guard. It urged the Maltese government to provide safe passage for the boat, citing the risk of a new attack. 'Craziest thing in the world' Speaking to Reuters from Malta, Thunberg said she was part of the group that was supposed to board the boat and 'continue the voyage towards Gaza, which is one of many attempts to open up a humanitarian corridor and to do our part to keep trying to break Israel's illegal siege on Gaza,' adding that 'for two months now, not a single bottle of water has entered Gaza, and it's a systematic starvation of 2 million people.' The activist said that the ship is currently at anchor, as moving it risks water flooding in. 'If it were to move, too much water would come in, and it would sink,' she said. 'What is certain is that we human rights activists will continue to do everything in our power to do our part.' Speaking to CNN from Malta, Wright said activists 'were ready to get on the boat. Anyone could have been on the boat,' adding that there are currently Turkish and Azerbaijan citizens on the ship. 'We didn't even think that this would happen. It's the craziest thing in the world. The ship was in an anchor there, waiting for us to come. Who would send drones to bomb a ship that is anchoring off Malta?' Wright said, adding that 'this should be a warning to all European countries.' Photos shared with CNN showed damage on the ship's deck. Mavi Marmara Freedom and Solidarity Association More damage is seen on the deck after the alleged drone attack. Mavi Marmara Freedom and Solidarity Association The Freedom Flotilla Coalition describes itself on its website as an international network of pro-Palestinian activists working to end Israel's blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave by taking direct, non-violent action. Gaza has been under Israeli military siege since the October 7, 2023, Hamas deadly attacks on Israel. Israel imposed a full humanitarian blockade of Gaza on March 2, cutting off food, medical supplies, and other aid to the more than 2 million Palestinians who live in the territory. The World Food Programme (WFP) said this week its warehouses are now empty; soup kitchens that are still running are severely rationing their last stocks; and what little food remains in Gaza's markets is being sold for exorbitant prices that most cannot afford. Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, said on X that she '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 said. Loud explosions FFC said it had been operating under a media blackout over the mission because it wanted to avoid potential sabotage. 'Our vessel is 17 kilometers off the shores of Malta right now in international waters, and they have been subjected to a drone attack twice,' said Acar, adding that the generators at the front of the vessel were the apparent target. The group pointed the finger of blame at Israel, without providing evidence. '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,' FFC said in its statement. A tug boat assists Freedom Flotilla Coalition vessel Conscience off the coast of Malta. Government of Malta An Israeli Air Force C-130 Hercules was picked up leaving Israel early Thursday afternoon and flying to Malta, according to flight-tracking website ADS-B Exchange. The Hercules did not land at Malta's international airport, the data shows, but the cargo aircraft did fly at a relatively low altitude – below 5,000 feet – over eastern Malta for an extended period of time. The Hercules flew over several hours before the Freedom Flotilla Coalition says their vessel came under attack. The plane returned to Israel about seven hours later, flight-tracking data shows. The Israel Defense Forces declined to comment on the flight-tracking data. In 2010, Israel attacked a flotilla in international waters and carrying humanitarian supplies for Gaza, killing nine people and sparking outrage around the world. A tenth person died of wounds sustained in the attack in 2014, after spending four years in a coma. Video the coalition posted on its X account appeared to show a fire burning on a ship, as well as smoke. The sound of two loud explosions can also be heard in a separate video clip. CNN is unable to independently verify the videos. Footage shared on social media and verified by FCC activists shows passengers on the boat walking through smoke that appeared to have filled the inside of the vessel. Photos onboard the ship also show large holes in the structure, much of which is charred and covered in soot. Trevor Ball, a former US Army senior explosive ordnance disposal team member, told CNN that the photos are consistent with two smaller blast munitions being used.
Times of Oman
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Ship carrying aid, 16 people to Gaza explodes
Gaza City: A ship carrying 16 people and humanitarian aid to Gaza was rocked by explosions early on Friday off the coast of Malta, setting the vessel on fire and putting it at risk of sinking, according to the human rights group operating the ship, New York Times reported. The ship and its crew were safe after a tug vessel helped extinguish the blaze following a mayday call, the government of Malta said in a statement. It did not say what had caused the fire, adding that the authorities were monitoring the ship, which was in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea, as per NYT. The ship, called The Conscience and operated by a group called the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, had left Tunisia earlier this week carrying human rights activists and aid. The group has challenged Israel's blockade of Gaza by delivering humanitarian aid there. Before going to Gaza, the ship was scheduled to stop in Malta and pick up about 40 more people, including the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, said Yasemin Acar, a spokeswoman for the group, NYT reported. The Israeli military has blocked past attempts by pro-Palestinian activists to bring aid to Gaza by sea, including by force. In 2010, nine passengers aboard the Mavi Marmara, a flotilla carrying aid from Turkey to Gaza, were killed in an Israeli commando raid, sparking international outrage and a deterioration in Turkish-Israeli relations. Crew members on the ship believed they had been hit by a drone attack, the coalition said. At around 12:20 am (local time), armed drones fired two bombs at the front of the ship when the ship neared Malta, the coalition said in a statement. That set off a fire, caused a substantial breach in the hull and broke the generator on board, leaving the crew without power. Parts of the group's account could not be independently confirmed. Video provided by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and verified by The New York Times appears to show a fire on the ship's deck as an alarm rings out. Security footage recorded after the reported time of the fire shows people on the ship assessing the damage as a man holds a fire extinguisher. The authorities in Malta said they received a mayday call from a passenger vessel of the same name at around 12:20am, reporting a fire on the bow. No casualties were reported, the Maltese government said. It was unclear on Friday morning whether the damaged ship would be allowed to dock in Malta. A nearby tug vessel with firefighting equipment helped to bring the fire under control by 1:30am, according to Malta's statement. Less than an hour later, the crew were confirmed to be safe. Ann Wright, another spokeswoman for the group, said that the crew had stayed aboard instead of evacuating to keep watch over the ship. The group has asked the crew to pick up the debris from the explosions so that it could undergo forensic examination, which would help determine whether a weapon had been used, Wright said, as per NYT. It was not clear who was responsible for the explosions on the flotilla near Malta on Friday. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But Israel has restricted humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip, barring it most recently since March in an effort to pressure Hamas into accepting a proposal to extend a ceasefire. There were 12 crew members and four civilian passengers on board the ship, according to the Maltese government and the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition called on the international community to condemn the attack.
