According to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), the organization that organized the mission, drones have struck a ship carrying aid to Gaza in an effort to break Israel’s blockade in international waters off Malta.
The vessel was the target of two drone strikes while traveling to Gaza, according to a statement released on Friday by the FFC. The vessel is now 14 nautical miles (25 kilometers) away from Malta. The ship had been attempting to transport aid to the besieged town where aid organizations warn residents are struggling to survive after Israel imposed a two-month total blockade.
An unarmed civilian vessel’s front was attacked twice by armed drones, which set off a fire and caused a significant hull break, according to the group.
Israel was not directly accused of carrying out the attack, according to the statement.
However, it did say that “Israeli ambassadors must be summoned and respond to violations of international law, including the ongoing blockade and the bombing of our civilian vessel in international waters.”
Israeli drone strikes have not received any comments.
A #FreedomFlotilla ship was attacked by a drone at 00:23 Maltese time. The vessel’s front was twice targeted, causing a fire and a hull breach. The ship is currently ashore in the world’s waters near #Malta. A distress message for #SOS was sent. pic. twitter.com/J6oEQafuOb
The Conscience attack occurred on Friday morning at 12:23 a.m. local time (10:23 GMT) and caused a fire to the ship’s engine, according to FFC official Nicole Jenes.
30 Turkish and Azeri activists were frantically trying to save the ship from the strike in an effort to keep it afloat, she continued.
According to the group’s statement, “a vessel from Southern Cyprus” was dispatched after receiving SOS calls.
Later on Friday, the Maltese government announced in a statement that the ship’s fire had been contained and that authorities were looking into the situation. What has happened to the activists and whether the authorities had actually intervened to put the fire out?
Because there was no communication with the crew, Jenes, who is currently stationed in Malta, claimed the group was unaware of the situation on board the ship.
They were reportedly hiding in the ship’s rooms at night because they were afraid of the drones, and we eventually lost contact with them.
On the verge of total collapse
The FFC, which was founded last year by peace activists from various nations, tries to defy Israel’s blockade of Gaza by using a converted trawler.
Israel halted humanitarian aid two months ago just before it resurrected its conflict with Hamas, which has ravaged the Palestinian enclave and claimed more than 50 000 lives.
Jenes emphasized that the FFC is urging the world to turn its attention to the blockade and that this attack is an extension of the genocide that is occurring in Gaza.
In a report released on Friday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) stated that Gaza’s humanitarian response is “on the verge of total collapse.”
Source: Aljazeera
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