Ship carrying activists, aid to Gaza attacked by drones, says NGO

A ship carrying humanitarian aid and activists heading for Gaza was bombed by drones while in international waters off Malta early on Friday, The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an international NGO said.

It uploaded video footage showing a fire on one of its ships but did not indicate who could have been responsible for the attack. There was also no immediate indication whether anyone had been hurt.

"The drone attack appears to have specifically targeted the ship's generator, and the vessel is now at risk of sinking with 30 international human rights activists on board," the NGO said in a social media post.

The ship issued an SOS distress call after being hit 17 nautical miles (31.5 kilometres) east of Malta, to which Cyprus responded by dispatching a vessel, the charity said.

The coalition is campaigning to end Israel's blockade of Gaza.

The Gaza war started after Hamas-led fighters killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages to Gaza in the October 7, 2023 attacks, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel's offensive on the enclave killed more than 52,000, according to Palestinian health officials.

Another coalition ship on a similar mission to Gaza in 2010 was stopped and boarded by Israeli troops, and nine activists died. Other ships have similarly been stopped and boarded, without loss of life.

Reuters