Global Sumud Flotilla targeted by drones amid Israeli smear campaign

Multiple vessels taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla were attacked in the early hours of Wednesday by unidentified drones, explosions and communication jamming, GSF said.

Footage from flotilla participants showed several explosions on or near the vessels, which were close to the Greek coast at the time of the attack. GSF called on the Greek Coast Guard to intervene during the attack.

Attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla ship Taigete, September 24. Courtesy of @pal.action_tn2 on Instagram.

The flotilla includes over 50 boats that have set sail with more than 500 activists from various countries to try and break Israel’s siege on the Gaza Strip and deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians there.

Wednesday’s attack is the third to target the flotilla after two vessels were struck earlier this month while docked in Tunisia before beginning their journey.

The attacks follow a persistent smear campaign from the Israeli Foreign Ministry, which has claimed that the GSF entails terrorist activity and “was organized by Hamas.”

“We are witnessing these psychological operations firsthand, right now, but we will not be intimidated. These tactics will not deter us from our mission to deliver aid to Gaza and break the illegal siege,” a GSF statement on the attacks said.

According to a later GSF statement, at least 13 explosions were heard on and around several flotilla vessels, with objects dropped on at least 10 boats from drones or aircrafts, causing damage. There was also a widespread disruption in communications during the attack. No fatalities have been reported, while the extent of the damage will be fully assessed today, the statement added.

Maghreb Sumud Flotilla organizer Wael Naouar explained in a post that nine of the targeted boats were hit by 12 sound bombs, while one was targeted by “an unidentified chemical device.” The attack came hours after GSF said that about 15 low-altitude drones have been following one of its vessels, Alma, throughout Tuesday, which the flotilla team believed were intended to intimidate or potentially gather intelligence for Israel.

The GSF statement noted that the attack follows “a sustained campaign of intimidation and disinformation by Israel, aimed at discrediting and endangering the 500+ unarmed civilians aboard the flotilla.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry has repeatedly smeared GSF for the past two days as “the Hamas flotilla,” targeting Arab organizers like the Tunisian Naouar and Palestinian Saif Abu Keshek by name as “Jihadists” connected to Hamas.

The Israeli ministry said the flotilla should unload its aid at Ashkelon Marina if its “genuine wish is to deliver humanitarian aid rather than serve Hamas.” It then declared that, by refusing the proposal, “the flotilla insists on pursuing a violent course of action,” and threatened that “Israel will take the necessary measures to prevent its entry into the combat zone and to stop any violation of a lawful naval blockade.”

Earlier this month, before the flotilla vessels set sail, two of its boats were struck by drones while docked at Tunisia’s Sidi Bou Said port.

Other voyages organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition earlier this year were exposed to similar attacks as they neared Israeli-held maritime zones, ultimately facing arrest at sea by Israeli authorities before their deportation.

Maritime missions to Gaza stretch back over two decades, to Israel’s imposition of the siege in 2006. Since then, only one boat has reached the strip without being intercepted by Israeli authorities. In 2010, Israeli forces boarded the Mavi Marmara, one of eight ships that had set sail from Turkey, and opened fire on its crew, killing 10 Turkish nationals.