Tunisian authorities have denied claims that one of the Gaza-bound vessels carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists including Greta Thunberg was attacked by a drone.
The organisers of the flotilla, Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), said that the Portuguese-flagged vessel had been struck by a drone while anchored outside the port of Sidi Bou Said in Tunisia. All six passengers and crew were safe, they added.
A spokesperson for Tunisia's national guard told the Agence France-Presse news agency that no drone had been detected and the investigation was ongoing.
The humanitarian aid flotilla set sail from Barcelona last week and arrived in Tunisia on Sunday.
The GSF said their Family boat was struck in Tunisian waters, and fire had damaged the main deck.
In a series of videos published to their Instagram, spokespeople for the GSF said an incendiary device caused a fire onboard the vessel, which the crew was able to extinguish.
Tunisia's National Guard spokesman told Mosaique FM radio that reports of a drone attack on the flotilla have no basis in truth. He added that an initial inspection indicated the explosion originated inside the vessel.
UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur and Tunisian resident Francesca Albanese, who was also featured in videos shared by the GSF, said that if an attack could be verified it would be an assault and aggression against Tunisia, and Tunisian sovereignty. Albanese, a prominent critic of Israel's military offensive in Gaza, has been the subject of sanctions imposed by the US in July.
Flotilla organisers have said that the aim of their mission is to break Israel's illegal siege on Gaza, but have faced several setbacks. In June, Israeli forces boarded a boat carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza and detained the 12 activists onboard, including Swedish activist Thunberg.
Israeli authorities have characterised the attempts to sail aid to Gaza as publicity stunts that offered no real humanitarian assistance. There have also been prior allegations of drone attacks on aid ships bound for Gaza.
Last month, a UN-backed body confirmed that there was famine in Gaza, a situation the UN's humanitarian chief blamed on Israel's systematic obstruction of aid entering Gaza, which was labeled an outright lie by Israel.
This incident highlights the increasing tensions surrounding humanitarian missions in the region and raises questions about the safety and legitimacy of such efforts amid ongoing conflicts.
