Gaza aid ships targeted in ‘deliberate attack’ – Tunisia (VIDEOS)
The Tunisian Interior Ministry said on Wednesday that a recent attack targeting a Gaza-bound humanitarian ship docked in the port of Sidi Bou Said was premeditated.
The Alma vessel, which flies the British flag and belongs to the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), was targeted by a drone strike on Tuesday while anchored in Tunisian territorial waters.
The civilian fleet of around 20 ships departed from the Spanish port of Barcelona on September 1 carrying humanitarian supplies intended for Gaza. Tunisia was one of the flotilla’s designated stops before it resumed its journey to deliver aid through a proposed humanitarian corridor.
In an official statement, the ministry described the incident as “a prepared attack.”
“The interests of the Ministry of Interior are responsible for conducting all investigations and research to reveal all the facts so that public opinion is informed, not only in Tunisia but in the whole world, about those who planned this attack, who colluded and who took over the implementation,” the statement read.
Surveillance footage from the scene reportedly captured individuals pointing skyward and chanting “fire” moments before the firebomb hit the ship.
The latest assault follows a similar one a day earlier involving the Family, another ship from the same fleet, sailing under the Portuguese flag. That incident, which occurred late Monday night near the same port, was initially dismissed by Tunisian authorities. At the time, officials claimed the fire had been caused by the accidental ignition and denied any external attack.
GSF spokesperson Saif Abukeshek, speaking to RT, linked the attacks to efforts aimed at intimidating pro-Palestinian activists.
“They [Israel] want to scare people off. They don’t want people to continue trying. Of course, they don’t want any witnesses for the crimes that they are going to continue committing in Gaza ... We [the GSF] will continue with our mission,” Abukeshek stated.
According to its official website, the GSF is a nonviolent maritime effort to challenge what it describes as the illegal Israeli siege on Gaza. The initiative, representing more than 40 countries, was launched in July by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, Global Movement to Gaza, Maghreb Sumud Flotilla, and others.
