Italy Deploys Naval Ship to Aid Sumud Flotilla Following Drone Attack

The Italian government says it has sent a naval ship to assist the Global Sumud Flotilla after it was attacked by several drones.

Organizers of the flotilla said that the boats, which are carrying humanitarian aid for the starving people of Gaza, were attacked by a swarm of 15 drones early Wednesday morning, with the convoy in the Mediterranean Sea about 600 nautical miles from the enclave.

According to Drop Site News, at least eight attacks and six explosions were reported as flash bang grenades hit at least six of the boats. One person has been injured, and two of the boats have been damaged. They also reported that an "unidentified chemical device" was dropped onto one of the boats before falling off into the water.

In a statement issued Wednesday, Italy's defense minister Guido Crosetto said: "Regarding the attack suffered in recent hours by the Sumud Flotilla vessels, which also include Italian citizens, carried out using drones by currently unidentified perpetrators, we can only express the strongest condemnation. In a democracy, even demonstrations and protests must be protected when they are conducted in compliance with international law and without resorting to violence."

"To ensure assistance to the Italian citizens on the flotilla," Crosetto said that he had "authorized the immediate intervention of the Italian Navy's multi-purpose frigate Fasan," which he said was "already en route to the area for possible rescue operations."

The deployment comes after labor unions in Italy led a nationwide strike in solidarity with Gaza on Monday, with hundreds of thousands of people in 75 cities and towns rallying to support Palestinians as well as the Global Sumud Flotilla.

Hundreds of other elected representatives to the European Union also issued calls on Wednesday for their own governments to provide protection to the flotilla.

While the perpetrator of the attack is not yet known, the flotilla organizers have suggested that "Israel and its allies" were responsible. Israel blocked two other efforts by activists to reach Gaza earlier this summer.

The flotilla's roughly 350 participants—which include humanitarians, doctors, journalists, lawyers, and other activists from at least 44 countries around the world—have repeatedly insisted that they are unarmed and that their goal is to peacefully protest Israel's siege of Gaza and deliver about 250 tons of food and medical aid to the people of Gaza, who are starving en masse under a near-total blockade by Israel.

On Tuesday, Israel's foreign ministry threatened to take "the necessary measures" to prevent what it described as the "Hamas flotilla" from breaking what it called a "lawful" blockade of Gaza.

In a statement posted to Instagram, the flotilla organizers said, "We welcome the recognition by Minister Crosetto of the democratic and non-violent nature of our mission, and his condemnation of the recent attacks on our vessels."

The group called on other UN member states, "in particular those whose nationals are aboard our ships—to ensure and facilitate effective protection, including maritime escorts, accredited diplomatic observers, and an overt protective state presence." The group emphasized that "such measures must remain protective and facilitative in nature, consistent with the principles of non-interference and the humanitarian purpose of our mission."

Israel ordered the group to turn over its humanitarian aid to Israel for it to be distributed in the strip. Organizers have refused to do this, arguing that Israel's blockade of aid, which has allowed only small amounts of aid into the strip, is illegal under international law.

Brazilian organizer Thiago Ávila, has said there is no reason to believe Israel's promises to distribute aid.

“We can never believe an occupying force who is committing genocide that they will deliver aid–it’s not in their interests,” Ávila said on his Instagram.

Last week, a commission of independent experts at the United Nations released an extensive report concluding that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. This has included its blockade of aid entering the strip, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 400 people, including at least 145 children, with many dying in recent months.

At least 65,419 Palestinians have also been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 2023, and at least 167,160 have been wounded.

In a statement Wednesday morning, Amnesty International condemned the attacks on the flotilla and Israel's "threatening and dehumanizing statements" against its organizers, which it described as "a shameless attempt to intimidate them and their supporters."

"States have a responsibility to ensure the safe passage of the flotilla, especially as they have repeatedly failed to get Israel to comply with its most basic obligations to ensure Palestinians in Gaza have adequate access to food, water, medicine, and other supplies indispensable to their survival," Amnesty said. "They must step up pressure on Israel to ensure safe passage for the flotilla and to lift the blockade once for all."