Drones attack Greta Thunberg-led flotilla off Greece as Israel vows to halt Gaza deliveries

Explosions were heard and drones were seen targeting boats in the Global Sumud Flotilla, a pro-Palestinian aid convoy led by environmental activist Greta Thunberg, as it waited off the Greek island of Crete after Israel vowed to block vessels headed for Gaza.

Organizers said they observed 15 to 16 drones, with unidentified objects dropped and radios jammed; they described the incident as a series of 'psychological operations' but said there were no confirmed reports of injuries. 'We are witnessing these psychological operations firsthand, right now, but we will not be intimidated,' the flotilla said.

Activists Yasemin Acar, a German-based participant, said in a video that five vessels had been attacked. Brazilian activist Thiago Avila said four boats had been targeted with drones throwing devices before another explosion was heard in the background. Both said they carried only humanitarian aid and that they posed no threat.

The Global Sumud Flotilla had set sail from Barcelona earlier this month with the aim of breaking Israel's blockade of Gaza and delivering aid. The convoy now numbers about 51 vessels, with participants from dozens of countries, and it has previously faced two suspected drone attacks in Tunisia.

Israel has said it will not allow the flotilla to reach Gaza, insisting it will enforce the blockade and prevent shipments from entering the territory.

Greta Thunberg, a prominent participant, has continued to press for humanitarian access to Gaza. In Tunisia, she addressed pro-Palestinian campaigners after an incident described by activists as an attack; Tunisian authorities denied that drones had been detected.

Two earlier attempts by activists to reach Gaza by sea had been blocked by Israel in June and July.

Humanitarian concerns in Gaza remain acute: aid deliveries are constrained, and experts warned last month that the city was in famine and that hundreds of thousands could face hunger.

Though the flotilla's size and route have varied in reports, organizers describe it as the largest effort to date to break the blockade by sea, part of an 18-year campaign that has drawn activists from dozens of countries.