A ship that transported 16 people and Humanitarian aid to Gaza was shaken by explosions on Friday morning off the coast of Malta, set the ship fire and put it at risk of sinking, according to the human rights group that operates the ship.
The ship and its crew safe after a tugboat helps the fire after a call from Mayday, said the Malta government in a statement. He did not say what the fire had caused, and added that the authorities were monitoring the ship, which was in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea.
The ship, called consciousness and operated by a group called Freedom Flotilla Coalition, left Tunisia earlier this week activists and human rights aid. The group has tried to challenge the blockade of Gaza from Israel and Egypt trying to provide humanitarian aid To the territory per sea.
Before going to Gaza, the ship was scheduled to stop in Malta and pick up about 40 more people, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, said Yasemin Care, a group spokeswoman.
The source of the explosion has not been determined, and it was not known that the ship has been directed in a Bincied way.
In a statement, the group suggested that an Israeli drones strike was responsible for the explosion, but did not provide definitive evidence.
Two experts consulted by the Times could not conclude if a drone had hit the ship based on a review of images of damage to the container.
The crew members on the ship near Malta said they thought they had been beaten by a drone attack, the coalition said. Around 12:20 am local time, armed drones shoot at the front of the ship, said the coalition in a statement.
That triggered a fire, caused a substantial rape in the helmet and broke the generator on board, leaving the crew without energy. Parts of the group account could not be confirmed independently.
Video Provid by The Freedom Flotilla Coalition seems to show a fire on the ship’s deck when an alarm sounds. The security images recorded after the informed time of the fire show that people on the ship evaluate the damage while a man has a fire extender.
The authorities in Malta said they received a Mayday call from a passenger ship of the same name around 12:20 am, informing a fire in the arch. No victims were reported, said the Maltese government. It was not clear on Friday morning if the damaged ship would be allowed to rise in Malta.
A nearby container with fire extinction team helped control the fire before 1:30 am, according to Malta’s statement. Less than an hour later, it was confirmed that the crew was safe.
Ann Wright, another group spokesman, said the crew had stayed on board instead of evacuating to monitor the disabled ship.
The group has asked the crew to collect the debris of the explosions so that it could perform a forensic exam, which would help determine if a weapon had been used, Wright said.
It was not clear who was the response for explosions in the flotilla near Friday. The Israeli army did not respond immediately to a request for comments.
The Israeli army has blocked the attempts of pro-palestinian activists to bring help to Gaza by sea, including force. In 2010, nine passengers aboard the Mavi Marmara, a flotilla aid that takes Gaza’s help to Gaza, were killed in an Israeli command raid, causing international outrage and a detection in Turkish-Israeli relations.
The Freedom Flotilla coalition has more than the members of the boxes, including IHH, a Turkish relief group, said the group’s website. At least four of the nine people killed in 2010 were members of IHH, according to the findings of an Israeli investigation into the event. IHH has been a virulent critic of the blockade in Gaza and the devastation captivated by Israel’s military campaign in the territory.
Since the beginning of March after a limited fire ended, Israel has blocked the entry of humanitarian aid in Gaza, leaving many people in Gaza struggling to access food. Israeli officials have said that restrictions seek to force Hamas to release hostages in the hands of the militant group, but members of the humanitarian community have said that the blockade is in danger of innocent civilians.
There were 12 crew members and four civil passengers aboard the ship, according to the Maltese government and the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.
The Freedom Flotilla coalition asked the international community to condemn the attack.
“Attacking international human rights activists in international waters is a war crime,” Care said.
Jiawei Wang” Sanjana Varghesisand Adam Rasgon Report contributed to this article.
