Israel Accused of Drone Attack on 'Freedom Flotilla' Carrying Aid to Starving Gazans

A "Freedom Flotilla" vessel carrying humanitarian aid for starving Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip reportedly came under attack in international waters off the coast of Malta early Friday, with organizers accusing Israel of bombing the ship with armed drones.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said in a statement that drones attacked the front of its unarmed ship, the Conscience, twice, "causing a fire and a substantial breach in the hull."

"The drone strike appears to have deliberately targeted the ship's generator, leaving the crew without power and placing the vessel at great risk of sinking," the coalition said. "On board are international human rights activists on a nonviolent humanitarian mission to challenge Israel's illegal and deadly siege of Gaza, and to deliver desperately needed, life-saving aid."

"Israeli ambassadors must be summoned and answer to violations of international law, including the ongoing blockade and the bombing of our civilian vessel in international waters," the coalition added.

Huwaida Arraf, an organizer with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, wrote in an email to The Washington Post that the group suspects Israel was behind the attack but can't "confirm 100%." The Israeli government has not commented on the accusations.

"Israel has threatened us and attacked us many times before, in 2010, killing 10 of our volunteers," wrote Arraf. "It is also the primary entity interested in keep[ing] us and any aid out of Gaza."

Reuters reported early Friday that "the Maltese government said the vessel and its crew were secured in the early hours of the morning after a nearby tug assisted with firefighting operations," but the outlet noted that organizers insisted the ship "was still in danger."

Climate and human rights activist Greta Thunberg told Reuters that she was in Malta at the time of the reported attack on the Conscience and that she was planning to board the vessel to support the effort to deliver aid to Gazans, who have been struggling to survive under a suffocating two-month Israeli siege and relentless bombing.

On Friday, Amnesty International again called on Israel to lift its blockade on Gaza, saying that the Israeli government's "policy of deliberately imposing conditions of life on Palestinians in Gaza calculated to bring about their physical destruction" amounts to "an act of genocide."

The U.S.-based peace group CodePink condemned the reported drone strike in a statement Friday.

"Retired Army Colonel, former diplomat, and our beloved board member Ann Wright, along with our long-time friend and co-founder's life partner, Tighe Barry, are part of this flotilla effort," CodePink said. "We are so glad they were safe, along with the 16 humanitarians and crew on board the ship."

"CodePink recognizes this as Israel blatantly violating international law by attacking a civilian ship in international waters and putting the lives of all those on the ship in jeopardy," the group added. "They must be held accountable for this attempted murder and every crime they have committed against humanitarians and the people of Gaza. This act by Israel sends a message to the world: Anyone who tries to bring aid to the people of Gaza is a military target and will be treated as such."

CodePink pointed to a CNN report indicating that "an Israeli Air Force C-130 Hercules was picked up leaving Israel early Thursday afternoon and flying to Malta."

Citing flight-tracking data, CNN reported that "the Hercules did not land at Malta’s international airport, the data shows, but the cargo aircraft did fly at a relatively low altitude—below 5,000 feet—over eastern Malta for an extended period of time."

"The Hercules flew over several hours before the Freedom Flotilla Coalition says their vessel came under attack," the outlet added. "The plane returned to Israel about seven hours later."

This story has been updated to include new comments from CodePink and reporting from CNN.