According to the human rights group that runs the ship, the ship carrying 16 people and humanitarian assistance to Gaza, was shaken by an explosion early on Friday off the coast of Malta, putting the ship in danger of being burned and sinking.
The Maltese government said in a statement that the ship and its crew were safe after the tugboat helped put out the flames after the May Day Call. He added that the authorities were monitoring the ships in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea, as they did not say what caused the fire.
The ship, called Conscience, is run by a group called the Freedom Frotira Union, left Tunisia earlier this week carrying human rights activists and aid. The group sought to challenge the blockade of Gaza in Israel and Egypt by trying to bring humanitarian aid to the sea to the territory.
Before heading to Gaza, the ship was scheduled to stop in Malta to pick up around 40 people, including Swedish activist Greta Samberg, said group spokesperson Yasemin Akal.
The cause of the explosion was not determined, and it was unclear whether the ship was intentionally targeted.
In a statement, the group suggested that Israel’s drone strike was the cause of the explosion, but did not provide conclusive evidence.
Two experts consulted by the Times were unable to finalize whether the drone had hit the vessel based on a review of images of damage to the vessel.
The captain’s crew near Malta said they believed they had been hit by a drone attack, the coalition said. An armed drone was fired in front of the ship around 12:20am local time, the coalition said in a statement.
It caused a fire, causing a major violation of the hull, breaking the generators inside the ship, preventing power from being applied to the crew. Some of the group’s accounts could not be independently verified.
Video provided by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition appears to show a fire on the ship’s deck as the alarm sounds. Security footage recorded after the reported fire time shows that people on board are assessing the damage as the man holds the fire extinguisher.
Maltese authorities said they received Mayday’s call from a passenger ship of the same name around 12:20am and reported a bow fire. No casualties have been reported, the Maltese government said. It was unclear whether the damaged ship would be allowed to dock into Malta on Friday morning.
A nearby tag vessel with fire equipment helped to control the fire by 1:30am, according to a Malta statement. Within an hour, the crew was confirmed to be safe.
Another group spokesman, Anne Wright, said the crew were on board rather than evacuating and continuing to monitor the disabled ship.
The group asked the crew to pick up debris from the explosion, allowing them to undergo forensic examinations.
It was not clear who was responsible for the explosion in the fleet near Malta on Friday. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Israeli forces blocked past attempts by Palestinian activists, including power, to bring aid to Gaza at sea. In 2010, nine passengers on the Mabimarmara, a fleet carrying aid from Turkey to Gaza, were killed in an Israeli commando attack, sparking international rage and aggravation of Turkish-Israel relations.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition has more than 12 members, including IHH, a Turkish relief group, the group’s website said. Israeli research shows that at least four of the nine people killed in 2010 were members of IHH. The IHH was a strong critic of the devastation caused by the Gaza blockade and Israeli military movements on the territory.
Since early March, after the limited ceasefire ended, Israel has halted humanitarian entry into Gaza, with many people in Gaza struggling to access food. Israeli officials said the restrictions were trying to force Hamas to release hostages held by extremist groups, but members of the humanitarian community said the lockdown protects innocent civilians.
According to the Maltese government and the Union of Freedom Fleets, there were 12 crew members and four civilian passengers on the ship.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition called on the international community to condemn the attack.
“Attacking international human rights activists in international waters is a war crime,” Acar said.
Jiawei Wang, Sanjana Varghese, and Adam Rasgon contributed to this article with their report.
