The "Family Boat", part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, was hit while docked in Tunisia before setting sail for Gaza.
One of the vessels taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla, the Family Boat, was attacked by what was likely a drone in the Tunisian port of Sidi Bou Said, where ships are preparing to continue their voyage to Gaza. The Family Boat is one of the vehicles carrying essential supplies to the besieged Strip and, on earlier legs of the trip, had on board journalists and members of the initiative's steering committee.
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, who is among those seeing off the boats, promptly reacted to the news. "If it's confirmed that this is a drone attack, it will be an assault and aggression against Tunisia and against Tunisian sovereignty," she said following the attack. "We cannot keep on tolerating this and normalizing the illegal."
Immediately following the strike, hundreds of people poured into the port to offer support and protection for the flotilla and its mission.
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In the hours after the assault, flotilla organizers confirmed the vessel was deliberately hit, providing video evidence and testimonies from crew members. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, September 9, a Portuguese member of the crew described hearing the drone overhead before seeing it target the ship. "This was a shameful attack and we will not be deterred," he said.
The coalition directly accused Israel of carrying out the assault, recalling earlier assaults on civilian vessels attempting to break the illegal blockade of Gaza. "There is no other authority that would do such an attack, such a crime, except the Israeli authorities," spokesperson Saif Abukeshek stated.
Attack shows Zionists are feeling the pressure
Since the first flotilla boats departed Barcelona at the end of August, crews have anticipated potential strikes. At the same time, Israeli officials have threatened to label participants as terrorists and imprison them in high-security facilities. Instead of discouraging the initiative, both the threats and the attack on the Family Boat have strengthened the determination of those on board and thousands rallying behind them on land. "We will go stronger until we reach the shores of Gaza," a representative of the group of South Asian countries taking part in the flotilla said on Tuesday.
The strike in Tunisian waters also highlights Israel's growing unease over the solidarity and attention generated by the flotilla, activists say. "It's a sign that the Global Sumud Flotilla is a strong initiative that scares Israel," the Italian trade union Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) - whose dockworker member José Nivoi is among those aboard the ships - commented. USB added: "The solidarity it has inspired around the world is increasingly isolating the genocide machine: the Zionists are feeling the pressure."
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In response to the attack, organizers and allies urged calm and perseverance while keeping the mission's purpose front and center: the plight of Palestinians living under occupation. "We are not here for us, we are not the story," said Thiago Ávila, who earlier this year was aboard the Freedom Flotilla's Madleen. He emphasized that the story is the genocide committed by Israel over the past 23 months and crimes from the past decades. Ávila also insisted that global solidarity could defeat the occupation. "They have the violence and the drones, but we have everything else," he said.
According to the coalition's website, the Global Sumud Flotilla is scheduled to depart Sidi Bou Said for Gaza on September 10. Meanwhile, solidarity actions have been launched in dozens of cities across Europe and beyond. In some countries, including Italy, movements are preparing for strikes and blockades if Israel attempts to assault the flotilla en route to Palestine.
