Ship struck by two drones near Malta on Friday; The NGO blames Israel to attack.
An international NGO that intends to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea said that it was in talks with the government of Malta on the authorization of a ship to enter Maltese waters to repair the damage caused by a drone attack.
The ship named conscience, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), has undergone damage to its front section, including a loss of power when it was hit by two drones just outside the Maltese territorial waters in the central Mediterranean early Friday, the NGO announced on Sunday.
The coalition, a non -governmental international group, said that Israel, which blocked and bombed Gaza, was to blame for the incident.
#FreEdomflotilla Press statement 04-05-2025: “We have received a very welcome update from the Malta government@MaltagovWith a declared intention to provide logistical supports and potential repairs to our ship, “consciousness”…. (Learn more …)
– Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@gazafflotilla) May 4, 2025
The conscience, which is part of Tunisia, waited to take on board around thirty peaceties of peace around the world before trying to sail in Gaza in the eastern Mediterranean. The ship sought to provide help, including food and drugs with a besieged enclave, where help groups warn people who find it difficult to survive after a total blockage of two months by Israel.
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg said she was in Malta and had planned to get on the ship as part of the flotilla.
Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Sunday that Malta was ready to help the ship repair the necessary repairs so that she could continue his trip, once he was convinced that the ship only contained humanitarian aid.
Coalition officials said on Sunday that the ship was not at risk of flowing, but that they wanted to be sure that it would be immune to additional attacks during repairs and capable of navigating again.
Earlier Sunday, the coalition had accused Malta of having hampered access to his ship. Malta denied the complaint, saying that the crew had refused assistance and even refused to allow a surveyor on board to assess the damage.
“The FFC wishes to clarify our commitment to the commitment with the authorities (Maltese) to accelerate the temporary mooring of our ship for repairs and surveyors, so that we can continue the urgent humanitarian mission in Gaza,” the coalition said in a statement later.
A Malta government spokesperson said his offer was to help repair at sea once the boat cargo had been checked to be aid.
Coalition officials said the surveyor was invited to the board of directors as part of a negotiated agreement with Malta.
Israel interrupted humanitarian aid in Gaza two months ago, shortly before it broke a ceasefire and restarted its war against Hamas, which devastated the Palestinian enclave and killed more than 51,000 people.
Another NGO ship on a mission similar to Gaza in 2010 was arrested and embarked by Israeli troops, and nine activists were killed. Other ships were also arrested and on board, the activists arrested.
Hamas has published a declaration on the incident off the coast of Malta, accusing Israel of “hacking” and “state terrorism”.