Tunisia Denies Drone Attack on gaza-Bound Flotilla, Claims Explosion Originated Onboard
Published: September 9, 2024
Tunisia has refuted allegations that a drone struck a boat in a Gaza-bound flotilla off its coast, asserting that the explosion occurred from within the vessel.
The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), an independent aid association, reported on Monday that one of its primary vessels en route to the gaza Strip was hit by a drone in tunisian waters.
According to a GSF statement, the explosion resulted in fire damage to the Portuguese-flagged boat’s main deck and below-deck storage, but all six passengers and crew members are safe.
“Acts of aggression aimed at intimidating and derailing our mission will not deter us,” the group stated. “Our peaceful mission to break the siege on Gaza and stand in solidarity with its people continues with determination and resolution.”
GSF has initiated an examination into the incident. The flotilla, comprising approximately 20 boats and participants from 44 countries, including activist Greta Thunberg, represents the largest civilian maritime effort to breach the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory.
Tunisian officials have dismissed the drone attack claim, with Reuters reporting that the explosion originated inside the vessel. A National Guard spokesperson informed local media that the drone attack claims “have no basis in truth.”
Miguel Duarte, a crew member, recounted that the suspected drone approached the flotilla, moved to the front, and then dropped “what was obviously a bomb” on the forward part of the deck.
In a video posted on Instagram, Duarte stated, “Let me be clear 100%. It was a drone dropping a bomb on the forward deck of our ship,” when asked about the certainty of a drone attack.
“I’m OK, but we could have been killed, right?” Duarte said, citing the deaths during the Israel-Hamas war of humanitarian and medical workers.
“We certainly know the dangers that we’re facing,” he said.
Following the explosion, crew members repeatedly called for help and activated the fire alarm, as shown in a CCTV video shared by Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza.
“If it’s confirmed that this is a drone attack, it will be an assault and aggression against Tunisia and against Tunisian sovereignty,” Albanese said after the incident. “And again, we cannot keep on tolerating this and normalizing the illegal.”
Demonstrators gathered at the port of Tunis around 2 a.m. local time (10 p.m. Monday ET), with some waving Palestinian and Turkish flags and chanting “Free Palestine,” according to a video reposted by GSF.
Starvation deaths in Gaza surged after Israel’s blockade in March, and aid was resumed in May under a system backed by the U.S. and Israel. As then, nearly 1,400 people have died and 4,000 more have been injured while seeking food, with at least 859 killed near aid sites, the United Nations says.
Authors
By Peter Guo. charlene burnash and reuters contributed.
