Update:
Freedom Flotilla rescued after being targeted by Israeli drones in International water. The Maltese government stated that the vessel and its crew were rescued in the early hours of the morning after a nearby tug assisted with firefighting operations. According to Israel’s Channel 12, Israel carried out the drone attack on the flotilla carrying aid for Gaza. At around 12:30 AM Malta time, two drone strikes targeted the ship, causing a fire and a breach in the hull. The strikes specifically targeted the generator. The ship itself was carrying 30 international human rights activists. Images show the aftermath of the drone strikes on the vessel and video is showing the initial momenta following the drone strikes
BREAKING: At 00:23 Maltese time, a #FreedomFlotilla ship was subjected to a drone attack. The front of the vessel was targeted twice, resulting in a fire and a breach in the hull. The ship is currently located in international waters near #Malta. An #SOS distress signal was sent.
Nicole Jenes @NicoleJenes1 At 00:23 Maltese time, the Freedom Flotilla vessel was subjected to a drone attack. The front of the vessel was targeted twice, resulting in a fire and a breach in the hull. The ship is currently located in international waters near Malta. An SOS distress signal was sent out, to which only southern Cyprus has responded by dispatching a vessel. No other countries have responded. The drone attack appears to have specifically targeted the ship’s generator, and the vessel is now at risk of sinking with 30 international human rights activists on board. Call the Maltese government NOW
The Maltese government
@MaltaGov has not yet responded to the #SOS signal from this civilian humanitarian vessel. Under international maritime law, Malta has an obligation to act & ensure the safety of a civilian ship in distress within its proximity.
Condemnations and call for investigation from experts following the drone attack on the #FreedomFlotilla
Condemnations and call for investigation from experts following the attack on the Freedom Flotilla
The shocking attacks on the Conscience has caused reactions from many academics and experts. Collected below are quotes from prominent figures commenting on the horrific attacks:
‘We live in an time where ships carrying the most advanced weaponry in the world pass freely, and ships carrying urgent humanitarian aid to a starving population burn. ‘Israel is willing to bomb humanitarian ships to maintain its policy of starving the Palestinian people as a method of warfare.”
– Dr Shahd Hammouri, University of Kent
Emergency: I received a distressed call from the people of the Freedom Flotilla that is carrying essential food and medicine to the starving Gaza population. I call on concerned state authorities, including maritime authorities, to support the ship and its crew as needed. I trust the competent authorities will also ascertain the facts and intervene appropriately.
– Franscesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian Territories, on X
“Assuming, as appears to be the case, that the attack is attributable to Israel, it signals a clear violation of the right to life, as well as a war crime. It is only lucky that the measure has not claimed lives. The location of the attack in international waters proximate to Malta, requires urgent investigation and accountability. I expect maritime safety authorities too to reexamine their relations with Israel, due to the violation of the freedom of navigation, and the risk imposed upon the seafaring community in the Mediterranean.”.
– Itamar Mann, Associate Professor at the University of Haifa
“Civil society across the globe has been filling the void left by state inaction. Eighteen activists aboard a humanitarian aid flotilla headed to Gaza, where food has not entered for 60 days and clean water has been deliberately targeted and deprived, have been attacked by Israeli drones. They are at risk of sinking. It is imperative to rescue them as well as to complete an enhance their mission of delivering life-saving aid to the besieged Palestinian people trying to survive a genocide.”
– Noura Erakat
Let me explain this to you plainly: I am a former Head of the Maritime Section of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In international law, an authorised military attack on a ship in international waters is an act of war against the flag state of the vessel attacked.
- Craig Murray
Malta allowed Israel to use its airspace to bomb a humanitarian aid flotilla, and then delayed for several hours before sending assistance to the damaged ship. Malta has entered the war on the side of Israel and is openly complicit in the crime of genocide by starvation.
@Frances_Coppola
Breaking: A new video reveals the aftermath of Israel’s drone strike on the Freedom Flotilla. The vessel, named “Conscience”, remains stranded in international waters following the attack. The Flotilla aimed to break Israel’s siege on Gaza and deliver vital humanitarian aid to.