The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) for Gaza said on Tuesday that one of its main boats had been attacked by a drone in a port in Tunisia, although the six passengers and the crew are safe.
The Portuguese flag boat, transporting the steering committee of the flotilla, has undergone damage to the fire of its main bridge and its storage under the bridge, the GSF said in a press release.
A video shared by the GSF on X captured the moment “The family boat was hit from above”, showing a bright object descending on the ship, followed by the smoke which escapes the impact.
After the attack, dozens of people gathered outside the Sidi Bou said Port, where the flotilla boats were located at the time of the incident, waving the Palestinian flags and singing “Free Palestine”, said a Reuters witness.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, who was at the port, told Reuters: “We do not know who led the attack, but we would not be surprised if they were Israel. If that were confirmed, it was an attack on the Tunisian sovereign.”
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Here are the images of the security camera of the Flatilla Sumud family ship, parking just outside the port of Tunis. SO:
1. Sound of something that the crew identified as a drone.
2. The crews seem the alarm and call for help.
3. Explosion.
Draw your conclusions. pic.twitter.com/hmkfg7yaet– Francesca Albanese, an OPT special rapporteur (@franceskalbs) September 8, 2025
The GSF also said that an investigation into the drone attack was underway and that its results would be published once available.
“Acts of aggression aimed at intimidating and derailing our mission will not dissuade us. Our peaceful mission to break the seat on Gaza and solidarity with its people continues with determination and resolution,” said the GSF.
The Tunisian Interior Ministry denied GSF’s claims that a drone had hit the boat and rather said that “a fire had broken out on the ship itself”.
Siege
Flotilla is an international initiative seeking to break the naval blockade of Israel and to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza torn by war using civil boats supported by delegations from 44 countries. They also hope to highlight the humanitarian disaster in Gaza. The convoy consists of 20 boats.
About 150 activists participate, notably Tunisians, Turkish citizens and activists from all over Europe, Africa and Asia. The first group had Barcelona navigate on August 22, followed by another who left Genoa, Italy last week.
Find out more: Pakistani, world activists reach Tunisia to sail for Gaza on Sumud Flatilla
The organizers say that the mission aims to highlight the climbing of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza on a global scale. Last month, international observers officially declared a famine in northern Gaza, while Israel has maintained a strict blockage in the region since March, allowing limited humanitarian aid to enter.
Israel sealed Gaza on the ground in early March, leaving no supply for three months and triggering the shortage of generalized food. In June, the Israeli naval forces rose on board and seized a British hit yacht trying to break the seat, carrying Thunberg, among others.
The conflict devastated the enclave, with nearly 64,400 Palestinians killed since the start of the military campaign of Israel in October 2023.
