The Gaza-bound vessel “Freedom Flotilla,” which was attacked overnight Thursday near the coast of Malta, is likely to remain stranded at sea for several months, according to one of the flotilla activists speaking Friday evening.
The ship’s generator was severely damaged, the activist said, and it must be repaired. However, regional countries are refusing to let the ship dock and have threatened to seize it.
Footage of the damaged ship
(Video: Reuters)
A new video released Friday from onboard the ship shows at least two large holes in the deck, surrounded by thick smoke. “We were bombed twice!” the person filming can be heard shouting. Earlier, the first photos from the damaged deck were published, showing significant destruction.
The vessel, named Conscience, had been sailing under the flag of Palau in recent months. But according to activist Tighe Barry, who tried to reach the ship Friday, the Pacific island nation revoked the ship’s flag prior to the attack. Now, the vessel is apparently without a flag — exposing it to legal and logistical limitations, including being barred from docking. Palau maintains diplomatic ties with Israel and regularly votes in its favor at the United Nations.
Barry also said authorities in Malta, Greece, and Turkey threatened to seize the ship — which was carrying food and medicine for Gaza — if it entered port. “It’ll take months to get a new flag, so in the meantime, the crew is just stuck there,” he said.
According to Barry, Maltese authorities prevented the motorboats used by activists from approaching the ship after the attack, but one person managed to board and spoke with the captain. The captain sent a message to the Associated Press saying the vessel was attempting to reenter Maltese waters for fear of another attack, but a military vessel warned it not to approach. “This is a life-threatening situation. Please send help,” the captain said in his statement.
Charlie Anderson, a veteran Freedom Flotilla activist for over a decade, confirmed that the ship is not currently taking on water. However, its generator is heavily damaged and must be fixed before it can sail again. He added that some crew members suffered minor injuries while extinguishing the fire.
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Aboard the ship was Majid, a Turkish activist who was preparing to sleep when two explosions rocked the vessel. He said the first blast could have been mistaken for a collision, but then the crew saw flames and realized it was an attack. When they contacted Maltese authorities for help, someone impersonating them responded over the radio and claimed there was no longer any need to reach Gaza, he alleged. The crew had to fight the fire on their own until help arrived — hours after the blaze had already been put out.
“We feel safe now, but we don’t know what Israel is going to do,” Majid said. “You can’t trust anyone in a situation like this — not after being bombed in the middle of the night.”
The Freedom Flotilla organizers, who are linked to Hamas, had departed from Tunisia several days ago. They claim the ship was twice attacked by drones in international waters, and that the strikes targeted the generators in the bow. The organizers told CNN and Maltese maritime authorities they did not know who was behind the attack but speculated that Israel carried it out using drones. They provided no evidence to support the claim.