Organisers of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a Gaza-bound flotilla with pro-Palestinian activists on board carrying aid, reported hearing explosions and seeing multiple drone attacks from their boats situated off Greece from late Tuesday to the early hours of Wednesday.
“Multiple drones, unidentified objects dropped, communications jammed and explosions heard from a number of boats,” the Global Sumud Flotilla said in a statement, without adding whether there were any casualties.
“We are witnessing these psychological operations firsthand, right now, but we will not be intimidated.”
Suited in a life jacket, Brazilian organiser Tiago Avila updated on his Instagram at midnight on Wednesday that a total of 10 attacks targeted multiple boats with sound bombs and explosive flares. They were also sprayed with suspected chemicals.
US activist Greg Stoker said his boat off the coast of Crete was also a target.
“Our boat was assailed by a quadcopter that dropped a little popper on deck. A couple of other boats experienced that as well. Our VHF [very high frequency] radio was hijacked by adversarial comms, and they started playing Abba,” he said on Instagram.
Israeli authorities have not publicly commented on the reports of drones, explosions or communications interference being used against the flotilla.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed in a post on X that the sailing boats were “pursuing a violent course of action”, which “highlights the insincerity of the flotilla members and their mission to serve Hamas, rather than the people in Gaza”.
The ministry asked that the flotilla hand the aid on board the boats over to Israel so it can be transferred to Gaza “in a coordinated and peaceful manner” via the nearby Ashkelon Marina, which the flotilla organisers rejected.
“If the flotilla continues to reject Israel’s peaceful proposal, Israel will take the necessary measures to prevent its entry into the combat zone and to stop any violation of a lawful naval blockade, while making every possible effort to ensure the safety of its passengers,” the Israeli statement read.
Avila called this “manipulation from the Zionist regime”.
“We can never believe an occupying force who is committing genocide that they will deliver aid – it’s not in their interests,” he said on his Instagram.
The flotilla, numbering 51 boats, set sail from the western part of the Mediterranean Sea earlier this month with the aim of breaking Israel’s blockade of Gaza and delivering aid to the territory. It had already been targeted in two suspected drone attacks in Tunisia, where its boat had been anchored, before resuming its voyage towards Gaza.
Environmental activist Greta Thunberg is among the high-profile participants.
International activists, including aid workers and campaigners, say they organised the flotilla as a peaceful action to draw global attention to Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.
Israel blocked two earlier attempts by activists to reach Gaza by sea in June and July.
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