Gaza flotilla says drones flew over ship en route to try breaking blockade

Activists from the "Freedom Flotilla" heading towards the Gaza Strip, including the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and French parliamentarian Rima Hassan, said that unidentified drones had flown over their ship on Tuesday night.

According to the Middle East Eye news website, the drones remained near the vessel for some time, but did not fire any shots causing no damage. Activists therefore considered it to be a "psychological action" intended to deter them and encourage them to abandon their journey. Eventually, the flotilla continued its route normally.

After writing about X preparing for a drone attack, Rima Hassan finally indicated that the ship's passengers had "two alerts" during the night, due to "Greek surveillance drones." "We must remain alert in case of drone presence because the last ship was attacked on May 2 by this same method and in the middle of the night," she continued, specifying that "in case of a drone attack," their ship "will not hold up."

This comes after a ship last month was scuttled after allegedly coming under drone attack near Malta, which was preparing to set sail for Gaza. Organizers of the ship have blamed Israel, although Israeli officials have not commented on the issue.

Greta Thunberg, who set sail on Sunday from Sicily with 11 other activists, said that morale on board was "high," while also noting that they're "not unaware of the dangers." She added about the risks: "We are peaceful activists and volunteers, and we do not carry weapons. We sail peacefully in international waters, it's our right."

The ship, which is being tracked in real-time on the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) website for the purposes of "safety, accountability, and solidarity," is expected to reach the Gaza Strip in seven days. The flotilla is carrying humanitarian aid including medical supplies, food, products for babies and women, water desalination kits, prosthetics for children, and other supplies.