Gaza-bound aid ship says it was hit by Israeli drones, floats off Malta requesting help while refusing police from entering

A humanitarian aid ship bound for the Gaza Strip, and operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, has floated off the island of Malta since Friday morning, after its motor was allegedly struck and destroyed by Israeli drones.

The group says Maltese authorities rejected requests to enter the island’s territorial waters and prevented additional activists from reaching the ship.

However, Prime Minister Robert Abela said Malta offered additional assistance after helping put out a fire, but added that the captain has but noted that the ship’s captain has refused to allow a surveyor and police aboard to verify that the cargo is exclusively humanitarian.

“Our position is clear. Before a vessel is allowed into Malta, we need to be in control. Especially when it has no flag, no insurance, and we don’t know what’s aboard,” Abela told journalists on Sunday.

The ship Conscience, carrying 16 people along with humanitarian aid, set out from Tunisia to Malta to pick up about 40 additional activists, including the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who has pivoted toward anti-Israel activism in recent months.

The ship intended to challenge Israel and Egypt’s sea blockade of the Gaza Strip by delivering humanitarian aid, following the example of the Mavi Marmara Flotilla in 2010.

On Friday morning, the ship was struck by an explosion, which the Freedom Flotilla Coalition has claimed, without providing evidence, was caused by Israeli drone strikes.

The activist group cited reports from the ship’s crew that the strikes ignited a fire, which caused a breach of the hull and damaged the generator. In later statements, the group also claimed that several crew members were lightly injured in the explosion.

A Maltese tugboat helped extinguish the fire and the ship’s captain has since requested to enter Malta’s territorial waters to ensure protection from further "terror attacks."

Prime Minister Abela stated that the ship’s crew and passengers were in stable condition, and that he offered to transport them safely to shore for a medical assessment, but was refused. “The offer is still open,” he added.

Israel has not officially responded to allegations of a military strike. According to a report first published by CNN, a flight tracking service indicated that an Israeli C-130 military cargo plane flew above the area of the ship several times shortly before the alleged strikes.

A ship convoy, also operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition in 2010, was stopped and boarded by Israeli troops. The soldiers were attacked upon boarding, causing clashes that led to the death of nine activists, and injuries to around 40 activists and seven soldiers.

Hamas expressed its support for the ship, accusing Israel of “piracy” and “state terrorism.”

A Maltese security official told Ynet News, “We are currently in a situation where more is unknown than known.”

According to Ynet, the Israeli newspaper questioned the official about a theory circulated by several outlets – including the Israeli blog Intelli Times – which suggested that the new flotilla was a decoy intended to allow an Iranian cargo ship to smuggle weapons and ammunition to Lebanon.

“The Maltese government is holding intensive discussions on the matter, and we are examining every possible avenue. We’ve also heard this theory, and it is being investigated as well,” the official said.

He added that the possibility that the explosion did not originate from an external cause has not been excluded yet.