Gaza aid flotilla says second boat 'attacked by a drone'

Organizers of the pro-Palestinian flotilla hoping to carry aid to Gaza said late on Tuesday one of their boats was targeted by a drone attack while it was docked in Tunisian waters, the second attack on the flotilla in about 24 hours.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, which set off from Barcelona last week with hundreds of activists on board, including Greta Thunberg, said that the Alma was "attacked by a drone" and "sustained fire damage on its top deck."

The group said in a statement late on Tuesday that the fire had been extinguished and all crew and passengers were safe.

The flotilla published a video on its social media channels early on Wednesday showing a flash emerging from the sky and hitting the boat, causing a fire. It also posted a video purporting to show damage from the drone on its upper deck.

"This marks the second such attack in two days," the group said in a statement.

"These repeat attacks come during intensified Israeli aggression on Palestinians in Gaza, and are an orchestrated attempt to distract and derail our mission. The Global Sumud Flotilla continues undeterred.

"Our peaceful voyage to break Israel's illegal siege on Gaza and stand in unwavering solidarity with its people presses forward with determination and resolve."

About 24 hours earlier, another one of the flotilla's boats, the Family, also sustained damage while off the coast of Tunisia in what the group said was a drone attack.

There were no injuries reported in this case either. The vessel sustained fire damage on the main deck and below deck storage, according to the group.

Tunisian authorities on Tuesday, commenting on the earlier incident, rejected claims of a drone attack and said a fire on board was caused by a burning life jacket.

Citing the Interior Ministry, the Tunisian state news agency TAP reported that security forces investigated the fire on the Family and determined that it started from a burning life jacket due to a cigarette or lighter.

There were no casualties or damage to property, apart from several burnt life jackets, the agency said.

However, the flotilla published videos on social media showing what appears to be an incendiary object striking it.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, said of the earlier incident that it had caused "shock" and warned that the flotilla has faced threats, including from Israel.

She also highlighted the "history of attacks on the flotilla."

At a press conference following the incident, one of the activists on board the boat that was targeted described hearing the drone.

"I was on the deck on the back part of the ship, and I heard a drone," he said. "I came out of the cover of the deck to see a drone hovering about 3 or 4 metres above my head, called my fellow crew members."

"Two of us stood there with the drone, exactly 3 or 4 metres above our head," he added. "Then we saw the drone move to the forward part of the deck. It stood a few seconds on top of a bunch of life jackets and then dropped a bomb. The bomb exploded and there was a big flame."

The Global Sumud Flotilla is aiming to breach the Israeli sea blockade of the Gaza coast to deliver humanitarian aid to the population of the war-torn territory. "Sumud" means steadfastness in Arabic.

Organizers say that it is the largest action of its kind to date.

Israel has in the past thwarted a number of attempts to breach its sea blockade. An attempt by an Italian vessel in July was also prevented.

Thunberg, the Swedish climate activist, participated in a similar voyage aboard the Madleen vessel earlier this year as part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

In May, activists from the coalition reported a drone attack near the Mediterranean island of Malta.

Israeli troops boarded the Madleen 200 kilometres off the coast of Gaza on June 9 and took it to Ashdod, an Israeli port to the north of the territory. Thunberg and other activists were then deported.