A fire on one of the ships of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a humanitarian relief trip to Gaza, has prompted a lot of talk because the group’s leaders say it was caused by a drone strike. Reports say that the flotilla, which includes well-known people including climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, was hit as it was anchored off the coast of Tunisia.
The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) said in an official statement that one of its main boats, called the “Family Boat,” was hit by what it “suspects” was a drone. The group said that everyone on board, including steering committee members, was safe and that an inquiry is going on. The message said, “Acts of aggression meant to scare us and stop our mission will not stop us.” “We are still determined to carry out our peaceful mission to break the siege on Gaza and stand with its people.”
The GSF put out video that they say shows the precise moment the boat was hit, when a fire broke out on the boat. But the Tunisian government has denied that a drone strike happened. According to Houcem Eddine Jebabli, a spokesman for Tunisia’s national guard, an internal fire broke out in life jackets on the ship, which was anchored 50 kilometers from the town of Sidi Bou Said. He said, “No drone has been found.” MOSAIQUE RADIO further quoted a representative for Tunisia’s national guard as saying that the fire started from within the building and not from a drone assault.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, which left Barcelona in August with activists from 44 countries, is getting ready for the last part of its trip to Gaza. A second set of ships was supposed to meet the main flotilla in Tunisia before they continued on their way to the embattled Gaza Strip.
This isn’t the first time that a flotilla with Greta Thunberg on board has had a fight. The Israeli military stopped a boat called the Madleen, which was also transporting Thunberg, some 185 miles off the coast of Gaza in a previous attempt. Everyone on board was arrested and sent back home. The Israeli government and military have said before that they are ready to intervene against the current flotilla. They maintain that their naval blockade of the Gaza Strip since 2007 is meant to keep weapons from getting to Hamas.