Italy condemns drone attack on Gaza aid flotilla, orders frigate to assist citizens on board
Defense minister says drones and explosions targeted the Global Sumud Flotilla off Crete; Rome sends a naval frigate as the flotilla seeks to break the blockade.
Italy condemned what it called an overnight drone attack on a Gaza aid flotilla and ordered a Navy frigate toward the Global Sumud Flotilla, which comprises about 52 boats mainly off Crete, to assist Italian citizens on board.
Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said unidentified attackers deployed drones, dropped objects, and jammed communications as the flotilla attempted to breach Israel's naval blockade. The overnight incident occurred roughly 50 kilometers south of Crete. The flotilla's organizers, the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), said several boats reported explosions and drones overhead and communications disruption, and it accused Israel of a 'dangerous escalation.' Israel has not publicly commented on the latest incident but has previously said it will not allow the flotilla to reach its destination.
Passengers on the boats reportedly sought assistance from the Greek coastguard. A Frontex vessel was dispatched to the area but found no evidence of material damage to the ships, according to a Greek coastguard source.
Greta Thunberg, a prominent pro-Palestinian activist taking part in the flotilla, called the incident a 'scare tactic.' The Israeli foreign ministry has said the flotilla was 'organized by Hamas' and urged its vessels to unload supplies at the port of Ashkelon for transfer to Gaza, adding that Israel will not allow vessels to enter an active combat zone or breach the blockade.
The GSF maintains its objective is to break the siege on Gaza by sea, open a humanitarian corridor and end the humanitarian crisis. Two weeks earlier, two vessels in the flotilla were targeted by drones while anchored off Tunisia, and Tunisian authorities said they were investigating.
In June, Greta Thunberg was aboard the Gaza-bound Madleen, intercepted by Israeli forces about 185 kilometers west of Gaza; another vessel, the Handala, was intercepted about 75 kilometers off Gaza in July. The IPC—an UN-backed classification—had warned of famine in Gaza City and warned it could spread to central and southern Gaza within weeks.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry has said at least 440 Palestinians have died from malnutrition since the start of the war, including 162 since the famine declaration. The UN has called on Israel to allow an unimpeded, large-scale humanitarian response and to comply with international law to ensure access to food and medical supplies for Gaza's population. Israel says it operates in accordance with international law and disputes the IPC's findings and the health ministry's figures, including the genocide allegation raised by a UN commission of inquiry.
The Israeli military campaign in Gaza followed the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. As of the latest figures, at least 65,419 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to Gaza's health ministry.