SIDI BOU SAID, Tunisia (Reuters) -International aid initiative Global Sumud Flotilla said on Wednesday one of its boats was attacked by a drone at Tunisia's Sidi Bou Said port, the second such strike
Global Sumud Flotilla Reports Second Drone Strike on Vessel in Tunisia
Overview of the Flotilla's Mission and Recent Attacks
By Tarek Amara and Enas Alashray
Details of the Drone Attacks
SIDI BOU SAID, Tunisia (Reuters) - The Global Sumud Flotilla, an international aid initiative to deliver vital supplies to Gaza, said on Wednesday that one of its boats was attacked by a drone at a Tunisian port, the second such strike in two days.
Reactions and Support for the Flotilla
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.
Context of the Israeli Blockade on Gaza
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 organisers 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, told Reuters.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The flotilla posted a video on Instagram of the alleged attack, showing a luminous object hitting the boat and fire erupting on board. Reuters was not immediately able to verify the video.
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 Reuters witness 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.
In June, Israeli naval forces boarded and seized a British-flagged yacht carrying Thunberg, among others. Israel dismissed the aid ship as a propaganda stunt in support of Hamas.
"These repeat attacks come during intensified Israeli aggression on Palestinians in Gaza, and are an orchestrated attempt to distract and derail our mission. The Global Sumud Flotilla continues undeterred," the GSF said.
(Reporting by Tarek Amara, Enas Alashray and Ahmed Tolba; Editing by Stephen Coates and Saad Sayeed)
