Activists say ship aiming to sail to Gaza was attacked by drones
Watch: Activists released this footage they said was of a drone attack on their ship
- Published
Activists who were planning to sail a ship to Gaza say it was struck by drones in international waters off the coast of Malta - appearing to accuse Israel of being behind the attack.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said its ship The Conscience was targeted at 00:23 local time on Friday and issued an SOS signal right after the attack.
The BBC was sent a recording of the distress call from the flotilla ship, recorded by a crew member on a nearby oil tanker. The captain of the flotilla ship can clearly be heard reporting drone strikes and a fire onboard.
The Maltese government said everyone aboard the ship was "confirmed safe" and that a fire onboard the ship was "brought under control overnight".
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said it had planned to sail to Gaza with people including climate activist Greta Thunberg on board and "challenge Israel's illegal siege and blockade".
The NGO called for Israeli ambassadors to be summoned to answer for "violation of international law, including the ongoing blockade and the bombing of our civilian vessel".
The Israeli military said it was looking into reports of the attack.
Organisers told the BBC that the group had been "operating in total secrecy with a complete media blackout" to prevent "sabotage" as they prepared to sail towards Gaza - where about two million Palestinians have been under a complete blockade by the Israeli military for two months.
Volunteer Surya McEwen said he and others had lost contact with the ship after the incident, which he said caused a fire on board and damaged the hull. They had since been told there were no major injuries.
"It's a full-on situation for them but they're recovering," he told the BBC, adding that the incident had been an "unprovoked attack on a civilian vessel in international waters, trying to do a humanitarian mission".
Climate activist Greta Thunberg was among those who had planned to board the ship once it departed for Gaza on Friday.
Speaking to journalists in Valetta, she said: "I was part of the group who was supposed to board that boat today to 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."
Thunberg added that as far as she's aware, the ship is still at the location of the attack because moving it would let too much water in.
"What is certain is that we human rights activists will continue to do everything in our power to do our part, to demand a free Palestine and demand the opening of a humanitarian corridor," she said.
The Maltese government said that 12 crew and four activists were on board the boat, while the NGO said 30 activists had been on board.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition uploaded a video showing a fire on the ship. It said the attack appeared to have targeted the generator, which left the ship without power and at risk of sinking.
Firefighters try to extinguish the blaze on board the Conscience
The Maltese government said a tugboat was sent to the scene to extinguish the fire, which they say was under control by 01:28 local time.
"By 2:13, all crew were confirmed safe but refused to board the tug," the statement said, adding the ship remains outside territorial waters.
Cyprus responded to the SOS signal by dispatching a vessel, the activists said, but that it did not "provide the critical electrical support needed".
Marine tracking software shows that the Conscience left Tunisia on Tuesday evening and is currently around 12-14 nautical miles off Malta.
The coalition is campaigning to end Israel's blockade of Gaza, which is also facing mounting international condemnation. Last month the UK, French and German foreign ministers described the Israeli decision to block aid as "intolerable".
Two months ago, Israel shut all crossings to Gaza – preventing all goods, including food, fuel and medicines from entering - and later resumed its military offensive, ending a two-month ceasefire with Hamas.
Some humanitarian organisations such as the World Food Programme say they have already run out of food while community kitchens say their stocks are dwindling fast. On Friday the Red Cross said the humanitarian response in Gaza was on the verge of "total collapse".
The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
At least 52,418 people have been killed in Gaza during the ensuing war, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
Additional reporting by Tom Bateman, Alice Cuddy and BBC Verify