Fire from drones received a boat carrying humanitarian aid and activists to Gauze While in international waters off Malta early on Friday morning (02.05.2025), as the NGO organized the move claimed, claiming that Israel is responsible for the attack.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry did not respond immediately to a request for a comment on what the NGO activists of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition headed to Gaza.
Maltese government stated that The boat and the crew were safe the early morning hours today after close tugboat helped extinguishing operations, However NGOs and Swedish activist Greta Tancyberg said the boat was still in danger.
Tancyberg told Reuters that he was in Malta and that he was going to board the boat under Freedom Flotilla’s planned movement in support of Gaza, which is excluded and bombed by Israel.
NGO has published Video filmed in the dark and showing a fire on one of its vessels, ‘Conscience’. This visual material also shows lights in the sky in front of the boat while explosions are heard.
“Israeli ambassadors must be called upon and respond to violations of international law, including continuing exclusion (gauze) and bombing our political vessel in international waters,” the NGO said.
Malta’s government stated that Port Authorities received a risk signal shortly after midnight, local time, from a boat outside the territorial waters, which included 12 crew members and 4 citizens, and which reported a fire.
He said he was heading to the spot and began extinguishing the fire and that he was sent a Maltese patrol vessel. After several hours, the boat and its crew is now safe, the government said, adding that the crew refused to board the trailer.
However, Freedom Flotilla said in a statement on her website that Drone attacks, which he denounces, caused a “important rift on the hull”. “The drone blow seems to have deliberately targeted the ship’s generator, leaving the crew without electricity, creating a high risk that the boat will sink,” the statement said.
Hamas issued a statement on the incident off Malta, accusing Israel of “piracy” and “state terrorism”.
The testimony and appeal of a Greek professor
Takis Politis, Professor of the University of Thessaly, He was to participate in humanitarian action by transferring humanitarian aid to the Palestinians. He himself, in a post on social media, describes the attack on the ship:
“Last night after midnight, just hours before our boarding, our ship was hit by 2 unmanned aircraft, in international waters near Malta. A fire broke out and the ship was seriously damaged. On the ship, at the time of the attack, there were 12 crew members and 6 activists, “he told Facebook.
The professor, at the same time, appeals to the great call to that great part of Greek society that condemns the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people, “to push the Greek government to stop any cooperation with Israel and to take all possible actions to do so.”
The whole post of Takis Politis
‘Urgent appeal
My name is Takis Politis and I am a professor at the University of Thessaly. I am in Malta by participating in the fleet of freedom. We were ready to start humanitarian solidarity action to break the illegal exclusion of the Gaza Strip and to transfer humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, starving from the deliberate illegal ban on the entry of humanitarian aid imposed by Israel.
Last night after midnight, just hours before our boarding, our ship was hit by 2 unmanned aircraft, in international waters near Malta. A fire broke out and the ship was seriously damaged. At the ship, at the time of the attack, there were 12 crew members and 6 activists.
I appeal to that great part of Greek society that condemns the ongoing genocide at the expense of the Palestinian people, to push the Greek government to stop any cooperation with Israel and to take all possible actions to help end it.