It is September 9, 00:47. We have received news that the main boat of the Sumud Flotilla was bombed by a drone at the port of Tunis.
During a press conference, a crew member stated this today:
“We were standing there, two of us, when a drone hovered exactly three or four meters above our heads. Then we saw the drone move toward the front part of the deck. It lingered for a few seconds over a stack of life jackets and then dropped a bomb. The bomb exploded, causing a large burst of flames. A fire immediately broke out on board. Fortunately, we were able to successfully extinguish the fire, and everyone remained unharmed. This was a shameful attack.”
At the time, six members of the Flotilla mission, who had already been part of the Madleen mission in June on their way to Gaza, were on board. It has not yet been confirmed who carried out this attack. However, it is clear that the attack aimed to intimidate and frighten the members of the Flotilla mission and all solidarity supporters. The attack could just as easily have resulted in the death of the activists.
As Thiago Avila, who also witnessed the attack, later explained, this is not the first attack in the history of the Flotilla. Yesterday’s attack in the port of Tunis marked the 38th attack on a ship in the history of the Flotilla movement. Since 2008, ships carrying humanitarian aid have set sail for Gaza to break the blockade that has been in place since 2007. In 2010, six boats with Turkish and Kurdish crew members headed to Gaza. Ten of them were killed by the Israeli military, and 30 were injured.
The targeted attack on a boat is a direct act of intimidation, intended—alongside threats from Israeli politics—to demonstrate power and instill fear. While attacks on boats were previously expected only in international waters, this one was carried out directly in front of the port of Tunis.
The UN Special Rapporteur for the Palestine territories, Francesca Albanese, spoke shortly after the attack on-site, stating that this was an attack on the sovereignty of the state of Tunisia and that consequences must follow. The attack violates international law and cannot be justified as self-defense.
The attack not only violates international law but must also be regarded as sabotage of the mission. We will set sail and break the Gaza blockade despite this attempt to stop the mission!
Meanwhile, yesterday, the Israeli state called on Palestinians to evacuate Gaza City, forcing them to flee to 3% of the Gaza Strip’s territory. Lebanon, Qatar, and Syria were also bombed.
Israel’s aggressive war policy is a danger to the peoples of the Middle East and must be challenged with all forms of protest —whether on ships, on the streets of Europe and worldwide, in the media, or in workplaces and educational institutions!
Peoples Bridge, 9th September 2025
