Tunisian officials have pushed back against claims that a Gaza-bound aid ship carrying activists, including Greta Thunberg, was hit by a drone while docked in Tunisia.
The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), which organized the mission, said one of its boats, sailing under a Portuguese flag, was struck while anchored near the port of Sidi Bou Said. They reported that six passengers and crew were safe, though a fire damaged the main deck.
But Tunisia’s national guard told AFP that “no drone” was detected, and said an investigation is underway. Speaking to local radio station Mosaique FM, a guard spokesperson added that initial inspections suggest the explosion started inside the vessel itself.
The aid flotilla had departed Barcelona last week and reached Tunisia on Sunday. In videos posted to Instagram, GSF spokespeople claimed an “incendiary device” sparked the fire, which the crew managed to put out.
Francesca Albanese, the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories and a resident of Tunisia, appeared in the group’s videos. She warned that if an attack were confirmed, it would be “an assault and aggression against Tunisia, and Tunisian sovereignty.” Later, in a post on X, she said she was at the port working with local authorities to gather facts.
Albanese has been a vocal critic of Israel’s war in Gaza and was recently hit with U.S. sanctions, a move praised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a stand against “smear campaigns” targeting Israel.
The flotilla’s goal is to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza, but its missions have repeatedly run into obstacles. In June, Israeli forces intercepted another GSF vessel, detained 12 activists including Thunberg, and deported them after towing the ship to Ashdod. Israel has dismissed these aid sailings as stunts with little real humanitarian impact.
Allegations of drone strikes on Gaza aid ships are not new. In May, the Freedom Flotilla claimed its ship The Conscience was hit by a drone off Malta. A recording later obtained by the BBC captured the vessel’s captain reporting a fire onboard after “drone strikes.” Maltese authorities later confirmed all passengers were safe.
The controversy unfolds against a backdrop of worsening conditions in Gaza. In July, a UN-backed report declared famine in the territory, blaming Israel’s restrictions on aid deliveries. Israel has rejected those findings as “lies” and denies starvation is taking place.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza began after Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 hostages taken. Since then, more than 64,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry.
