Greta Thunberg’s aid ship hit by drone strike

Greta Thunberg’s aid ship hit by drone strike

#breakingnews #gretathunberg #gaza #palestine #israel

A boat carrying activist Greta Thunberg bound for Gaza has been set ablaze after a drone strike, the crew claims.

The vessel, known as the ‘Family Boat’, carrying the 22-year-old and other activists, was struck and set on fire off the coast of North Africa.

The Swedish climate activist is travelling to Gaza along with a flotilla of around 20 boats to deliver food and medicine to Gaza in an attempt to break the Israeli aid blockade. The flotilla, which left Barcelona last week, is expected to reach its destination by mid-September.

The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) shared footage on social media of the moment the vessel was struck by a suspected drone in Tunisian waters.

Ms Thunberg shared a statement by GSF on social media, confirming the attack.

“The Global Sumud Flotilla confirms that one of the main boats, known as the ‘Family Boat’ – that was carrying GSF Steering Committee members – was struck by what is suspected to be a drone,” the statement read.

GSF said all six passengers and crew on-board the boat, which was sailing under the Portuguese flag, are safe.

“Fire damage was causes on the main deck and below deck storage,” it said, adding an investigation is currently underway.

“Acts of aggression aimed at intimidating and derailing our mission will not deter us,” it warned.
“Our peaceful mission to break the siege on Gaza and stand in solidarity with its people continues with determination and resolve.”

Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, has called for the protection of the remaining boats.

“Main Flotilla boat (Family) attacked apparently by a drone in Tunis port!” she wrote on X.
“Other 2 boats are on the way to Tunis and they need urgent protection.”

Ms Thunberg vowed to try and “break the illegal siege of Gaza” when speaking to reporters before she set sail last week.

“The question here today is not why we are sailing. This story is not at all about the mission that we are about to embark upon,” she said.

“The story here is about Palestine. The story here is how people are being deliberately deprived of the very basic means to survive. The story here is how the world can be silent.”

The United Nations has declared a famine in Gaza, warning that 500,000 people face “catastrophic” conditions amid the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel.

The incident comes after the European Union said on Monday it doesn’t “encourage” aid flotillas heading to Gaza.

“We don’t encourage flotillas like this, because basically they can escalate the situation, and they also put their participants at risk,” EU spokeswoman Eva Hrncirova said.

She said the EU believes the “best way … to deliver the humanitarian aid” is via partner organisations working on the ground.

“This is what we try to achieve, to deliver the humanitarian aid in a larger scale, and we keep the channels with Israel open, and we talk to Israeli authorities,” she said.

Greta’s previous attempt

The journey marks the second time Ms Thunberg is attempting to reach the occupied territory of Gaza, after she was previously detained and expelled by Israel in June.

At the time, 12 activists on board the sailboat Madleen, from France, Germany, Brazil, Turkey, Sweden, Spain and the Netherlands, were intercepted by Israeli forces 185km west of Gaza.

In July, 21 activists from 10 countries were intercepted as they tried to approach Gaza in another vessel, the Handala.

The Spanish government says it will “deploy all of its diplomatic and consular protection to protect our citizens” sailing with the flotilla, the country’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said last month.

Madrid last year recognised Palestine as an independent state.

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