Explosions and drones targeting Gaza aid flotilla boats, activists say | Gaza

Organisers of a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists have reported explosions and multiple drones that targeted some of their boats, currently situated near Greece.

“Multiple drones, unidentified objects dropped, communications jammed and explosions heard from a number of boats,” the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) said in a statement. “We are witnessing these psychological operations first-hand, right now, but we will not be intimidated.”

The German human rights activist Yasemin Acar said in a video she posted on Instagram that five vessels had been attacked.

In an earlier video, Acar said the activists had “sighted 15 to 16 drones”, adding that their radios had been jammed as loud music could be heard.

One video posted by the flotilla’s official Instagram page showed an explosion it said it recorded from the Spectre boat.

In another video posted by the same page, the Brazilian activist Thiago Avila said four boats had been “targeted with drones throwing devices” just before another explosion was heard in the background.

Earlier this month, the GSF said that it was attacked by drones over two days while stationed in Tunisia. None of the passengers or crew were harmed during those events.

At the time Tunisia’s interior ministry said at least one of the reports of drones had “no basis in truth”.

The flotilla carrying activists, including the Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, set sail from Barcelona in late August to “break the illegal siege of Gaza”, organisers said.

It currently numbers 51 vessels, most of which are situated off the Greek island of Crete.

Israel said Monday it would not allow the flotilla to reach Gaza. Israel blocked two earlier attempts by activists to reach Gaza by sea in June and July.

With Reuters and Agence France-Presse