Tunisia acknowledged drone-style attacks on a British-flagged Gaza aid flotilla ship near Tunis, as Greta Thunberg and international activists vowed to continue their mission despite fire damage.
Tunisia’s Interior Ministry announced Wednesday that a “premeditated aggression” struck a Gaza-bound aid flotilla anchored in Tunisian waters, confirming suspicions of two drone-style attacks in as many nights. The acknowledgment marks the first official confirmation of sabotage attempts targeting the flotilla.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, organized to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza, reported that its British-flagged vessel, the Alma, suffered fire damage to its top deck late Tuesday while anchored off Sidi Bou Said. No casualties were reported, though organizers described the strike as the second attack in 48 hours.
Tunisian authorities initially dismissed the incident, with the national guard suggesting a cigarette caused the blaze. But new security footage released by flotilla members showed a burning object falling from the sky, igniting the vessel’s bow. Eyewitnesses claimed to have seen a drone overhead.
In response, Tunisian law enforcement boats surrounded the damaged vessel as the Interior Ministry launched a formal investigation.
Despite the disruption, flotilla organizers vowed to press on. “Hopefully we will leave tomorrow (Thursday) morning,” said Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, though bad weather has delayed their departure.
The mission features a roster of high-profile international activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and former Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau, who cut her city’s ties with Israel during her tenure. The campaign has also drawn support from Hollywood voices such as Susan Sarandon and actor Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones).
This is not Thunberg’s first confrontation over Gaza activism. In June, she was deported by Israel after joining another flotilla, the Madleen, which the IDF intercepted. That vessel carried less than one truckload of aid, which was later transferred to Gaza through official humanitarian channels.
While the activists stopped short of directly blaming Israel for the Tunisian attacks, they accused unnamed actors of seeking to “distract and derail” their mission amid the backdrop of “intensified Israeli aggression on Palestinians in Gaza.”
With tensions flaring in Tunisian waters, the flotilla’s fate now hangs in the balance — caught between the resolve of international activists and the shadow of unseen forces determined to stop them.
