First, a siren sounds. People aboard the Alma, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, point to the sky and shout, “Fire!” Then, a projectile falls to the boat’s top deck, followed by an explosion.
Surveillance footage released by the international aid initiative Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) shows what they say was a suspected drone strike on the Gaza-bound vessel. The Tuesday incident was the second such strike reported in two days as the flotilla was docked in Tunisian waters.
Reuters says it has verified the video. No one was hurt, according to a message posted by GSF, and there was no structural damage. A spokesperson said on Instagram that the flotilla will continue its mission “to break the siege of Gaza.”
Zaheera Soomar, a Toronto-based pro-Palestinian activist currently aboard one of the flotilla’s docked vessels, says that despite there being two apparent attacks in two days, people aren’t too shaken up or surprised.
“This is something we’re all trained up on. We’re even trained to identify the types of drones, and we expect this,” Soomar told CBC News from the port in Tunis Wednesday.
“If anything, it’s probably motivated us more.”
Some activists have blamed Israel, which has in the past intercepted other activist boats seeking to reach Gaza by sea. Israel has not responded to the new accusations, according to The Associated Press. It has previously dismissed the flotillas as publicity stunts, saying a blockade is necessary to prevent smuggling, particularly of weapons.
Tunisia’s Interior Ministry, coast guard and prosecutors did not immediately comment on the new incident Wednesday.
The flotilla of around 20 boats is carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza and had planned a stop in Tunis for other boats to join.
If all goes well with security and safety checks, they will set sail this afternoon, Soomar said.
The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) said one of its main boats had been struck by a drone at a port in Tunisia. The flotilla was seeking to break Israel’s naval blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to war-torn Gaza using civilian boats. Canadian law professor Heidi Matthews is part of a legal support vessel travelling alongside the flotilla and describes the suspected drone attack.
2 attacks reported in 2 nights
In a news release, the GSF said the attacks are “an orchestrated attempt to distract and derail our mission.”
“The Global Sumud Flotilla continues undeterred. Our peaceful voyage to break Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza and stand in unwavering solidarity with its people presses forward with determination and resolve,” the group said in the news release.
The attack appeared similar to the one the night before on one of its main vessels, the Portuguese-flagged “Family” boat. GSF reported the first attack on Tuesday, saying one of its vessels had been struck by a drone in Tunisian waters at the Sidi Bou Said port. According to Reuters, Tunisian authorities said those reports were false.
But Heidi Matthews, an associate law professor at York University currently in Tunis providing legal support to the flotilla, says eyewitness and video evidence corroborates GSF’s account. On Tuesday, she told CBC News that shortly after the attack, she and other lawyers arrived on the scene to collect witness and survivor testimony.
“I myself witnessed drones the day before in the airspace of the port,” said Matthews. “[There’s] a ton of actual video of the attack itself. The fire happened in the air, it was dropped on the boat and the boat then erupted into flames.”
‘We really just want to deliver the aid, and leave’
Both the Alma and Family are the mission’s mother ships, providing support and provisions to smaller vessels and carrying the most high-profile members of the flotilla. These include Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau.
In June, Israeli naval forces boarded and seized a British-flagged yacht carrying Thunberg and others.
As Soomar prepared to set sail, she said she is aware of the risk she could be imprisoned. If that happens, she said she hopes the Canadian government will fight for her release.
“Nothing that I am doing is illegal. I am jumping on a boat, going into international waters. It’s a non-violent mission. We have zero weapons on board. We only have aid on board,” she said.
“We really just want to deliver the aid, and leave.”
Israel has maintained the blockade on the coastal enclave since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007, saying it is needed to prevent weapons smuggling.
