Tunisia Confirms Premeditated Attack on Gaza Aid Flotilla Vessel

The Global Sumud Flotilla, an international convoy carrying humanitarian aid and activists to Gaza, was targeted by drone attacks while docked at Sidi Bou Said port in Tunisia, with two vessels—the Portuguese-flagged Family and the British-flagged L’Alma—suffering damage but no injuries. Tunisia's interior ministry described the Tuesday attack as a "premeditated aggression" and an "orchestrated assault," launching an investigation but not attributing blame, while the UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories condemned the strikes as violations of Tunisian sovereignty. Organizers and investigative sources like Bellingcat suggest Israel was behind the attacks, which they claim were deliberate attempts to sabotage the mission aimed at breaking Israel's naval blockade of Gaza. The flotilla includes hundreds of activists from over 40 countries, with notable participants such as Greta Thunberg, and has drawn significant local and international solidarity amid the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza following the ongoing war and blockade. Israel has maintained the blockade since Hamas took control in 2007 and has intensified restrictions amid the conflict that began with Hamas's October 2023 attack on southern Israel. The flotilla's departure has faced delays due to these attacks and weather conditions, but the mission continues to challenge the blockade and bring global attention to the situation in Gaza.