Tunisia says attack on Gaza aid flotilla ship was ‘orchestrated’
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Tunis: Tunisia on Wednesday described the “assault” on a ship docked at Sidi Bou Said port as “orchestrated,” after organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) reported that one of their vessels preparing to deliver aid to Gaza was struck by a drone, the second such incident in two days.
The GSF aims to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza with a large convoy of aid boats and activists. Organizers alleged that the repeated drone strikes were deliberate attempts to disrupt the mission. The Israeli military has not commented on the incidents.
No casualties were reported, and firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control on Wednesday night. Tunisia’s Interior Ministry said it had launched an investigation into the attack but did not attribute responsibility.
UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, told Reuters the incident was “an attack against Tunisian sovereignty.”
Earlier in the day, thousands of Tunisians gathered on Sidi Bou Said beach to express solidarity with pro-Palestinian activists. The flotilla, comprising dozens of boats and hundreds of activists from 44 countries, has drawn global attention, with participants including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and Portuguese left-wing politician Mariana Mortagua.
Israel has enforced a blockade on Gaza since Hamas took control in 2007, citing the need to prevent weapons smuggling. The blockade has remained in place during the ongoing war that began after Hamas’ October 2023 attack on southern Israel, which killed 1,200 people and resulted in around 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Israel’s military campaign since then has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians, Gaza’s health ministry said, while aid groups have warned of famine in the enclave. In March, Israel sealed Gaza’s land crossings for three months, cutting off supplies and worsening the humanitarian crisis. Israel maintains that Hamas has diverted aid.