Latest news with #GazaFFlotilla
BreakingNews.ie
02-05-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Drones strike ship carrying aid to Gaza, organisers say
Drones attacked a vessel carrying aid to Gaza on Friday in international waters off Malta, the group organising the shipment said. A fire broke out but was brought under control, according to authorities. Advertisement A nearby tugboat responded to a distress call from the Conscience, which was carrying 12 crew members and four civilians, Malta's government said, adding that those aboard refused to leave the ship. The group was safe and no injuries were reported, it said. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition accused Israel of attacking its ship. The group did not provide evidence for that claim or to show that the fire was caused by drones, but in a video it shared an explosion could be heard. Another video showed a fire blazing. Condemnations and call for investigation from experts following the drone attack on the #FreedomFlotilla — Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@GazaFFlotilla) May 2, 2025 The Israeli army did not respond to a request for comment. Advertisement Israel has cut off Gaza from all imports, including food and medicine, since the beginning of March, leading to what is believed to be the worst humanitarian crisis in nearly 19 months of war with Hamas. Israel says the blockade is an attempt to pressure the Palestinian militant group to release hostages it took during the October 7, 2023, attack that triggered the conflict. Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel that day, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Hamas is still holding 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive. In response, Israel launched an offensive that has killed more than 52,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's health ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians. Advertisement The Conscience ship after being struck by a drone (Government of Cyprus via AP) Israel's bombardment and ground operations have destroyed vast areas of the territory and left most of its population homeless. When an aid flotilla attempted to break a blockade of Gaza in 2010, Israeli forces stormed a Turkish ship, the Mavi Marmara, killing nine people on board. On Friday, the Conscience was hit about 16 miles from Malta, according to the Freedom Flotilla. Charlie Andreasson, who has been involved with the group for more than a decade, told The Associated Press that he had spoken to people on board who said there were two explosions and that a fire broke out. Advertisement Photos provided by the Cypriot authorities showed the ship with damage to its side. People on board the vessel were not immediately reachable for comment. Earlier the group said the strike appeared to have targeted the ship's generator, causing a 'substantial breach in the hull' and leaving it without power. It said that put the vessel at risk of sinking. 📍 Israel and the occupied territories | Without an immediate resumption of aid deliveries, we won't have access to the food, medicines, and life-saving supplies needed to sustain many of its programmes in Gaza. Read more in our news release 👉🏽 — ICRC (@ICRC) May 2, 2025 According to the ship-monitoring website Marine Traffic, the Conscience left the Tunisian port of Bizerte on Tuesday and arrived on Thursday in the area where it reported being attacked. The organisers said the ship was hit on Friday, just after midnight. Volunteers who had travelled to Malta were meant to board the ship to go to Gaza, the group said. Advertisement Mr Andreasson said climate activist Greta Thunberg was supposed to have participated. The organisation said Ms Thunberg did not board and was safe. About two dozen volunteers, including Ms Thunberg, were taking smaller boats to the Conscience to assess the damage after the attack, said Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Codepink, a grassroots peace and social justice movement. Ms Benjamin said the ship's crew are from Turkey and Azerbaijan. 'They still want to head toward Gaza, but I don't know what shape the ship is in,' she said. The attack happened as aid groups have warned that the humanitarian response in Gaza is on the verge of collapse. The International Committee of the Red Cross said Friday it will not have access to food, medicine and life-saving supplies needed for many of its Gaza programmes if aid deliveries do not resume immediately. Programmes at risk include 'common kitchens' that often give residents the only meal they receive each day and could be forced to halt operations in a few weeks, the 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.'
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pro-Palestine activist ship ‘bombed by Israel'
Credit: X/@GazaFFlotilla A pro-Palestinian activist ship bound for Gaza has been bombed by Israel in the Mediteranean, its organisers have alleged attack took place on a vessel forming part of the 'Freedom Flotilla Coalition', which campaigns against Israel's blockade of the Strip, shortly after midnight in international waters off has emerged appearing to show two explosions on a ship named Conscience, causing a fire which the crew struggled to coalition blamed the attack on 'armed drones', which it said continued to circle the flotilla following the strikes. It told CNN that climate activist Greta Thunberg and retired US Army Colonel Mary Ann Wright were among those who were expected the board vessel in Malta, but were not onboard at the time of the has so far not commented on the allegation. Israel cut off all aid supplies to Gaza two months ago as part of a plan to pressure Hamas to release the last Gaza has been under an Israeli maritime blockade for many years as part of the strategy to counter Hamas, which has controlled the enclave since 2007. In 2010, nine activists died after Israeli forces boarded a different coalition ship on a similar mission to Maltese government said maritime authorities had received a mayday call from a vessel reporting a fire shortly after midnight local vessel was outside territorial waters and had 12 crew members and four civilians on board, the government said a nearby tug headed to the scene and launched firefighting operations and a Maltese patrol vessel was several hours, the vessel and its crew were secure, it said, adding that crew had refused to board the an earlier social media post on the incident, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition had said the vessel was taking on water with 30 international human rights activists on board 14 nautical miles off coalition said it had been organising a non-violent action under a media blackout in order to avoid any potential sabotage.'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,' the group added: 'Volunteers from over 21 countries travelled to Malta to board the mission to Gaza, including prominent figures.' '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.'If confirmed, a deliberate attack on the convoy could amount to a breach of international the 2010 incident, a UN fact finding mission found that 'a series of violations of international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law' had been committed by Israel. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
RTÉ News
02-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Activists say Israeli drones hit aid boat heading to Gaza
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. — 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.
