Aid ship bound for Gaza, hit in drone attack…organizers say

A vessel carrying aid to Gaza was reportedly attacked by drones on Friday, May 2, 2025, in international waters off Malta’s coast.

This is according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the group organizing the shipment.

The incident occurred about 16 miles from Malta, with reports of a fire breaking out on the ship, but it was brought under control.

A nearby tugboat responded to a distress call from the Conscience, which was carrying 12 crew members and four civilians.

This is according to Malta’s government.

It added that those aboard refused to leave the ship.

The group was safe and no injuries were reported, it said.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition accused Israel of carrying out the attack.

However, there was no evidence to support this claim.

Israel hasn’t commented on the incident.

On Friday, the Conscience was hit about 16 miles (26 kilometers) from Malta, according to the Freedom Flotilla.

Charlie Andreasson, who has been involved with the group for more than a decade, told The Associated Press that he had spoken to people on board who said there were two explosions and that a fire broke out.

Photos provided by the Cypriot authorities showed the ship with damage to its side.

No one aboard the vessel could immediately be reached for comment.

Earlier the group said the strike appeared to have targeted the ship’s generator, causing a “substantial breach in the hull” and leaving it without power.

It said that put the vessel at risk of sinking.

According to the ship-monitoring website Marine Traffic, the Conscience left the Tunisian port of Bizerte on Tuesday and arrived Thursday morning in the area where it reported being attacked.

The organizers said the ship was hit Friday, just after midnight.

Volunteers who had traveled to Malta were meant to board the ship to go to Gaza, the group said.

Andreasson said climate activist Greta Thunberg was supposed to have participated. The organization said Thunberg did not board and was safe.

Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Codepink said that about two dozen volunteers, including Thunberg, were taking smaller boats to the Conscience to assess the damage after the attack.

Benjamin said the ship’s crew are from Turkey and Azerbaijan.

“They still want to head toward Gaza, but I don’t know what shape the ship is in,” she said.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said Friday that it will not have access to food, medicine and life-saving supplies needed for many of its Gaza programs if aid deliveries don’t resume immediately.

Programs at risk include “common kitchens” that often give residents the only meal they receive each day.

The ICRC disclosed this. as it added that they could be forced to halt operations in a few weeks.

“Aid must be allowed to enter Gaza. Hostages must be released. Civilians must be protected,” the committee said.

“Without immediate action, Gaza will descend further into chaos that humanitarian efforts will not be able to mitigate.”

The attack happened as aid groups have warned that the humanitarian response in Gaza is on the verge of collapse.

The ship was carrying aid to Gaza, where humanitarian efforts are at risk due to Israel’s blockade.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned that aid deliveries must resume immediately to prevent a collapse of humanitarian services in Gaza.

This incident highlights the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, with Israel maintaining a blockade on Gaza to pressure Hamas to release hostages taken during the October 7, 2023, attack.

The situation highlights ongoing tensions and challenges in delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza, where millions face severe shortages of food, medicine, and other essential supplies.

The blockade has severely impacted Gaza’s population, with over 52,000 Palestinians killed and most of the population displaced.

The situation remains volatile, with aid groups pushing for increased humanitarian access to the region.

The incident has raised concerns about the safety of aid shipments and the need for unimpeded humanitarian access to the region.

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