SIDIBOU SAID (Tunisia): The Global Sumud Flotilla (SSF), an international aid initiative to deliver vital supplies to people of Gaza facing worst starvation due to Israeli blockade, has reported that one of its boats was attacked by a drone at a Tunisian port, the second such strike in two days.
The GSF, which is seeking to break Israel’s naval blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to war-torn Gaza using civilian boats, said in a statement that all passengers and crew were unharmed.
GSF reported the first attack on Tuesday, saying one of its vessels had been struck by a drone in Tunisian waters at the Sidi Bou Said port, reports Tunisian authorities said were false.
A Tunisian Coast Guard spokesperson did not respond to a call from Reuters on Wednesday.
One of the flotilla’s organizers accused Israel of carrying out the attack.
“Israel continues to breach international law and terrorise us. We will sail to break the blockade on Gaza no matter what they do,” Saif Abukeshek, a member of the GSF steering committee, revealed while talking to media.
The flotilla posted a video on Instagram of the alleged attack, showing a luminous object hitting the boat and fire erupting on board.]
Following the strike, hundreds gathered near the port, where the flotilla’s boats were located at the time of the incident, waving Palestinian flags and chanting slogans against Israel and the United States.
The group said that the British-flagged Alma sustained fire damage to its top deck and an investigation was underway.
Several ambulances rushed to the port, while a an eyewitness reported coastguard boats near the Alma.
The flotilla is supported by delegations from 44 countries, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and Portuguese left-wing politician Mariana Mortagua.
Israel has maintained the blockade on the coastal enclave since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007, saying it is needed to prevent weapons smuggling.
The blockade has remained in place through the current war, which began when Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, Israeli tallies showed.
Israel’s subsequent military assault against Hamas has killed over 64,000 Palestinians, Gaza’s health ministry said, while a global hunger monitor said part of the enclave is suffering from famine.
Israel sealed off Gaza by land in early March, letting in no supplies for three months, leading to the widespread shortage of food. Israel has said Hamas was diverting the aid.
Multiple rights experts and scholars say Israel’s military assault on Gaza amounts to genocide.
Read more: Many Killed As Hamas Leaders Survive Israeli strikes On Qatar
