The Portuguese-flagged boat, carrying the flotilla’s steering committee, sustained fire damage to its main deck and below-deck storage, the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) said in a statement
The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), carrying aid for Gaza, said on Tuesday that one of its main ships was targeted by a drone as it anchored in Tunisian waters, adding that the crew members are safe and uninjured.
The Portuguese-flagged boat, carrying the flotilla’s steering committee, sustained fire damage to its main deck and below-deck storage, the GSF added in a statement. The flotilla is an international initiative seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza via civilian boats supported by delegations from 44 countries.
Meanwhile, Tunisia’s national guard has said that no drones have been detected in the region where the flotilla stood, as GSF blamed Israel for the attack.
“There is no other authority that would do such an attack, such a crime, except the Israeli authorities. They have been committing genocide for the past 22 months, and they are willing to attack a peaceful, non-violent flotilla,” a member said.
Who are the crew members?
German human rights activist Yasemin Acar says The Family, the ship that came under attack, is the flagship of the GSF and carries its steering committee.
That committee includes Acar herself, along with Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and Brazilian socio-environmentalist Thiago Ávila.
According to Acar, the entire crew aboard The Family had previously served on the Madleen.
Israeli PM tells Gazans to leave ’now’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told residents of Gaza City on Monday to evacuate, as the military ramped up its deadly assault on the Palestinian territory’s largest urban centre.
“This is a final warning to the Hamas murderers and rapists in Gaza and in luxury hotels abroad: Release the hostages and put down your weapons – or Gaza will be destroyed and you will be annihilated,” he said on X.
On Monday, Israeli forces targeted a fourth high-rise building in Gaza City in as many days, with AFP footage showing the Al-Ruya tower crashing to the ground moments after being struck.
Israel has been intensifying its bombardment of the city in preparation for an operation to conquer it, despite repeated entreaties from Western nations and aid agencies to stop.
With inputs from agencies
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