Gaza aid flotilla says hit by drone, Tunisia says none detected

SIDI BOU SAID, Tunisia: Organisers of a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists said late Monday that one of their boats was hit by a suspected UAV off the coast of Tunisia, but authorities there said “no drones” had been detected.

The flotilla, which aims to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, arrived in Tunisia over the weekend and was anchored off the coast of Sidi Bou Said when it reported the incident.

“The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) confirms that one of the main boats… was struck by what is suspected to be a drone,” the organisers said on social media, adding no one was hurt.

They shared security camera footage from the boat in which a humming sound can be heard, before a flash of light illuminates the frame.

The vessel was in Tunisian waters when a fire broke out on board and was quickly extinguished, according to an AFP journalist who arrived shortly after the flames had been doused.

But the cause of the blaze remained in dispute, with Tunisian national guard spokesman Houcem Eddine Jebabli saying “no drones have been detected”.

“According to preliminary findings, a fire broke out in the life jackets on board,” he told AFP, adding the investigation was ongoing.

Reports of a drone are “completely unfounded”, the national guard said in a statement on its official Facebook page, suggesting that the fire may have been caused by a cigarette.

‘100% a drone’

Brazilian activist Thiago Avila posted a video on Instagram featuring testimony from another member of the flotilla who claimed to have seen a drone.

“It was 100 percent a drone that dropped a bomb,” the member says in the video.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.

Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, shared the security camera footage and called attention to the sound, explosion and calls for help by the boat’s crew.

“Draw your conclusions,” she wrote on X.

The Global Sumud Flotilla describes itself as an independent group not linked to any government or political party. Sumud means “resilience” in Arabic.

Among its high-profile participants is Greta Thunberg, who addressed pro-Palestinian campaigners in Tunisia on Sunday.

Israel has already blocked two attempts by activists to deliver aid by ship to Gaza, in June and July.

The United Nations declared a state of famine in parts of Gaza, warning that 500,000 people face “catastrophic” conditions.