Drones bomb aid ship bound for Gaza; NGO blames Israel

Synopsis

A ship carrying aid to Gaza was bombed by drones off Malta. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition alleges Israel is responsible. Turkiye reports its citizens were on board. They condemned the attack. Greta Thunberg was scheduled to board the ship. Video footage shows a fire on the ship. The Maltese government confirmed the incident. Aid supplies in Gaza are dwindling.

A ship bound for Gaza carrying humanitarian aid and activists was bombed by drones in international waters off Malta early Friday, its organisers said, alleging that Israel was to blame.

The Israeli foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the allegation by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an international non-governmental group. The Maltese government said the vessel and its crew were secured in the early hours of the morning after a nearby tug assisted with firefighting operations.

Turkiye's foreign ministry said its citizens were on board at the time of the incident and it was working with Maltese authorities to transfer them to a safe location.

"We condemn in the strongest terms this attack on a civilian ship," it said, noting that there were "allegations that the ship was targeted by Israeli drones". "All necessary efforts will be made to reveal the details of the attack as soon as possible and to bring the perpetrators to justice," it said.

Greta was set to board ship

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg told Reuters she was in Malta and had been supposed to board the ship as part of the Freedom Flotilla's planned action in support of Gaza, which is under blockade and bombardment by Israel.

The NGO published video footage, filmed in darkness, showing a fire on one of its ships, the Conscience. The footage showed lights in the sky in front of the ship and the sound of explosions could be heard. "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 shortly after midnight local time from a vessel outside of territorial waters, with 12 crew members and four civilians on board, reporting a fire.

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.

Aid supplies dwindling

According to a United Nations aid official, fights are erupting over dwindling supplies in Gaza as Israel's total blockade on supplies into the enclave hit the two-month mark. Olga Cherevko, an aid worker with the UN humanitarian office (OCHA) in Gaza City, said, "Supplies are becoming depleted while the war rages on; food stocks have now mainly run out."

The Red Cross, meanwhile, said the humanitarian response in Gaza was on the verge of "total collapse".