Tunisia on Tuesday denied accusations {that a} boat in a Gaza-bound flotilla was hit by a drone off its coast, saying the explosion got here from contained in the vessel.
The World Sumud Flotilla, an impartial help group, mentioned Monday that considered one of its predominant boats heading to the Gaza Strip had been struck by a drone in Tunisian waters.
The explosion brought about hearth injury to the Portuguese-flagged boat’s predominant deck and below-deck storage, however all six passengers and crew are secure, GSF mentioned in a press release.
“Acts of aggression geared toward intimidating and derailing our mission won’t deter us,” the group mentioned. “Our peaceable mission to interrupt the siege on Gaza and stand in solidarity with its individuals continues with willpower and backbone.”
An investigation is at present underway, in line with GSF. With round 20 boats and individuals from 44 international locations together with activist Greta Thunberg, the group is the most important civilian maritime try to interrupt the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory.
Tunisian officers rejected the allegation, saying the explosion occurred contained in the vessel, Reuters reported. A Nationwide Guard spokesperson instructed native media that claims of a drone assault on the flotilla “haven’t any foundation in reality.”
Miguel Duarte, a crew member, mentioned the suspected drone stopped near the flotilla, moved slowly to the entrance, after which dropped “what was clearly a bomb” on the ahead a part of the deck.
“Let me be clear 100%. It was a drone dropping a bomb on the ahead deck of our ship,” Duarte mentioned when requested whether or not the crew was “completely sure that this was a drone assault,” a video he posted on Instagram exhibits.
“I’m OK, however we may have been killed, proper?” Duarte mentioned, citing the deaths throughout the Israel-Hamas conflict of humanitarian and medical employees.
“We all know the hazards that we’re dealing with,” he mentioned.
After the explosion, crew members repeatedly yelled for assist and sounded the hearth alarm, in line with a CCTV video shared by Francesca Albanese, the U.N. particular rapporteur for the West Financial institution and Gaza.
“If it’s confirmed that it is a drone assault, will probably be an assault and aggression in opposition to Tunisia and in opposition to Tunisian sovereignty,” Albanese mentioned after the incident. “And once more, we can not carry on tolerating this and normalizing the unlawful.”
Demonstrators gathered on the port of Tunis round 2 a.m. native time (10 p.m. Monday ET), with some waving Palestinian and Turkish flags and chanting “Free Palestine,” in line with a video reposted by GSF.
Hunger deaths in Gaza surged after Israel’s blockade in March, and help was resumed in Could below a system backed by the U.S. and Israel. Since then, practically 1,400 individuals have died and 4,000 extra have been injured whereas in search of meals, with at the very least 859 killed close to help websites, the United Nations says.
