A flotilla carrying climate activist Greta Thunberg on an aid mission to Gaza has claimed one of their boats was hit by a “drone strike” off the coast of Tunisia on Tuesday morning.
The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF)’s Family Boat, which is said to be transporting Greta and some 350 other activists, sustained damage to its main deck and below-deck storage when it was struck by what activists said was a suspected drone. They added nobody was hurt in the incident.
More than 20 vessels from 44 nations make up the GSF, which has embarked on what they described as a “peaceful mission” aiming to break Israel’s naval blockade on the embattled Gaza Strip. Joining Ms Thunberg on board are a host of other climate activists and aid workers including journalist Yusuf Omar and human rights activist Yasemin Acar.
The Family Boat, which is transporting the flotilla’s steering committee, was anchored about 80km from the port of Sidi Bou Said after arriving in Tunisia over the weekend when the alleged incident took place.
“I was sleeping when I heard this explosion,” said journalist Yusuf Omar, who is among the dozens of activists heading towards Gaza in an attempt to break the Israeli blockade. “A big explosion happened right next to our diesel tank. The neighbouring boats spotted a drone coming in. They said it flew above basically where I was sleeping, and then it went to the front and detonated,” he said in a post on Instagram.
The Tunisian authorities said the explosion originated inside the vessel, suggesting it could have been caused by a cigarette. They added that reports of a suspected drone attack on the flotilla “have no basis in truth”.
Who is on the boat and where is it?
The ‘Familia Madeira’, or Family Boat, is carrying climate activist Greta Thunberg and Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, among others. As of Tuesday morning, it was docked on the coast of Tunisia near the port of Sidi Boussaid, according to a tracker on the organisation’s website.
Ms Thunberg shot to notoriety in 2018 when she decided to skip school as a 15-year-old in an attempt to persuade the Swedish parliament to take more action on climate change.
“We all know why we are here,” said Ms Thunberg, after arriving at the Tunisian port where the activists were greeted by hundreds of people. “Just across the water there’s a genocide going on, a mass starvation by Israel’s murder machine.”
The other activists on board the vessel are: Yasemin Acar (Germany), Kleoniki Alexopoulou (Greece), Thiago Avila (Brazil), Melanie Schweizer (Germany), Karen Moynihan (Ireland) Maria Elena Delia (Italy), Saif Abukeshek (Palestine and Spain), Muhammad Nadir Al-Nuri (Malaysia), Marouan Ben Guettaia (Algeria), Wael Nawar (Tunisia), Hayfa Mansouri (Tunisia), and Torkia Chaibi (Tunisia).
What does the flotilla aim to do?
The GSF claim they are the “largest civilian maritime mission organised to break Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza”. They initially set sail from Barcelona on 31 August, carrying food, water and medicine, but were forced to turn back due to adverse weather conditions.
On 2 September their voyage resumed, setting sail for Gaza across the Mediterranean Sea. The flotilla arrived in Tunisia over the weekend, where they were greeted by hundreds of supporters.
Israeli national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, is said to be drafting up plans for the arrest of Ms Thunberg and the seizure of the flotilla, Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported. There are plans to convert the ships into a police fleet.
The GSF also said an investigation into the drone attack was underway and its results would be released once available.
They are due to arrive in Gaza later this month, but Israeli forces are likely to intercept the boats before they can reach the Gaza Strip.
How did Israel stop the previous aid boat reaching Gaza?
Israel has not reacted kindly to previous flotillas destined for Gaza. In June, a boat carrying a number of activists – including Ms Thunberg – was boarded by Israeli military forces around 185km off the coast of Gaza and transported to Israel, with many of its passengers detained and eventually expelled.
A pre-recorded video of Ms Thunberg posted on the X account of Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) alleged the activists were “intercepted and kidnapped”. She called on her supporters to put “pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible.”
Israeli officials dubbed the vessel the “selfie yacht” and said the group would be taken to the port of Ashdod, from where they would return to their home countries. Israel Katz, the country’s defence minister, said he had instructed the military to show the flotilla passengers videos of the 7 October massacres when they arrive in Israel.
He claimed it was necessary for “Greta and her fellow Hamas supporters to see exactly who the Hamas terrorist organisation they came to support and for whom they work is, what atrocities they committed against women, the elderly, and children, and against whom Israel is fighting to defend itself”.
Israel’s almost two-year-long war in Gaza has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run Strip. Israel’s offensive began following a Hamas-led militant attack on southern Israel in October 2023, where 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 250 were taken as hostages.
