Humanitarian Aid Ship Attacked

Multiple sources report that a ship belonging to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the Conscience, was struck by drones in international waters off the coast of Malta in the early hours of Friday, May 2, 2025. The ship was carrying humanitarian aid and activists aiming to break Israel’s total blockade on Gaza.

A ship carrying humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip sent out a distress signal overnight after it was bombed by drones in international waters near Malta. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the organizer of the voyage, is blaming Israel for the attack, which set the ship on fire, punched a substantial breach in its hull and cut off communication with those aboard. “We are dealing with a brutal attack on an innocent ship,” retired U.S. Army Colonel Ann Wright, who was in Malta waiting to board the flotilla, tells Democracy Now! “While we cannot yet identify the source of the drones, there is no doubt in my mind that there is a history of violence that has been directed toward the flotillas from the state of Israel.”

The climate activist Greta Thunberg was also set to join the flotilla and said in an online video that activists would “continue to do everything in our power to do our part to demand a free Palestine and demand the opening of a humanitarian corridor.”

Gaza Aid Flotilla Attacked by Drones in International Waters; Organizers Blame Israel. Democracy NOW! May 2, 2025

Incident: The Conscience, an unarmed civilian vessel part of the Gaza Aid Freedom Flotilla, was attacked by drones in international waters off the coast of Malta on May 2, 2025, around 00:23 local time.
Impact: The ship was struck twice, causing a fire, “massive, gaping holes in the ship’s hull,” and a “substantial breach in the hull.” The strikes targeted the vessel’s generators.
Location: The attack occurred approximately 14-17 nautical miles (26-31 km) from Malta, outside its territorial waters.

PODCAST

An Israeli Air Force C-130 aircraft was reportedly tracked flying at low altitude near Malta hours before the attack and returned to Israel afterward, although Maltese authorities denied any airspace breach. Israel has not commented on the drone strikes.

Total Blockade: Israel has maintained a “two-month siege” or “total blockade” on Gaza, preventing the entry of aid since March 2, 2025.
Humanitarian Catastrophe: This blockade has led to a severe humanitarian crisis, with Palestinians “starve to death” and the humanitarian response being “on the verge of total collapse.” Aid groups warn people are “struggling to survive.”
Starvation as a Weapon: “Aid is being weaponized through its denial. Today, people are not surviving Gaza. Those who aren’t being killed by bombs and bullets are slowly dying,” according to Jonathan Whittall of the UN humanitarian coordination wing.
Lack of Essentials: Millions of people are trapped and starving, rationing food scraps, drinking contaminated water, and facing acute malnutrition. Food stocks are depleted, and over 116,000 tons of food assistance remain stuck at border crossings.

Gaza Freedom Flotilla

My name is Ann Wright, retired Army colonel, a former U.S. diplomat, and I’m here in Malta with the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. And this morning, early, just after midnight, two drones struck our Gaza freedom ship called the Conscience that was in international waters off Malta.

And if you remember, we’ve been sending ships to challenge the Israeli illegal naval blockade of Gaza since 2008. And actually, 15 years ago, in 2010, was when the Marvi Marmara was attacked by the Israelis, and 10 people killed and 50 wounded. I was on one of the smaller boats that were part of that flotilla. And since then, we’ve sent over 35 boats to challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza. And now our flotilla is challenging not only that blockade, that has kept all of the food and water and everything out of Gaza now for almost a month and a half, on the genocide, that the U.S. is complicit of, the Israeli genocide of at least 55,000, 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza, and then the ethnic cleansing of the West Bank.

But right here, we are in Malta dealing with a brutal attack on an innocent ship, a ship that was at anchor or outside in territorial waters waiting for us, the activists, to come on board, so that we could then head toward Gaza to say to the world that here are some citizens that are willing to take action. Where our governments fail to act, we, the citizens, are trying to act to bring international attention to what is happening to the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. And to be attacked by two drones that caused massive damage to to our ship called the Conscience, to see that the — while we cannot yet identify the source of the drones, there is no doubt in my mind that there is a history of violence that has been directed toward the flotillas from the state of Israel, and probably the complicity of the United States in it, and probably part of NATO, too.

So, we are here to stand up for the people of Gaza, for the people of the West Bank, as international humanitarians and human rights defenders, when we see a genocide going on in Gaza. We have people from 22 nations. We’ve got young and old, and we’ve got people of note. We have Yvonne Ridley, who’s one of the great authors. We have a very young person, Greta Thunberg, and two of her friends from Sweden, who have been doing Palestine solidarity work in Sweden and wanted to be a part of this. So, we have the very young, and we have the older folks, too. We have people that are from the Global South, from Argentina, from Chile, from Venezuela, from Colombia, from Brazil. We have people that are all over Europe, all over North America. So, it’s a good crew that we have here. Our Malaysian contingent has been here. And we’ve got great heart and great spirit for the people of Palestine, which is the focus of these flotillas, to bring attention to the illegal, criminal acts that the state of Israel is doing on Palestine.

Gaza Aid Flotilla Attacked by Drones in International Waters; Organizers Blame Israel. Democracy NOW! May 2, 2025

Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)

Gaza Can’t Wait

The crisis in Gaza has reached a boiling point. May 2 marks two months since the Israeli government reinstated a total blockade on the Gaza Strip, cutting off the flow of food, water, fuel, and medical supplies. The human toll is staggering. With more than two million people trapped and starving, Gaza is on the brink of a catastrophic famine that could claim tens of thousands of lives.

Now, families are rationing scraps of food, drinking contaminated water, and watching their children go to bed hungry and dehydrated. Hospitals are barely functioning. A staggering 65,000 children are facing acute malnutrition. In the simplest terms: Palestinian civilians, and Israeli hostages, will die because of this siege and the obstruction of aid.

This is a completely man-made problem that is entirely preventable. The United States cannot turn a blind eye to this unfolding catastrophe. Congress must act now to press for the immediate reopening of Gaza’s borders to allow humanitarian aid to reach those in desperate need.

According to the World Food Programme and United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), their food stocks in Gaza are now fully depleted, and aid warehouses sit empty. More than 116,000 tons of food assistance remain stuck at border crossings, with thousands of trucks awaiting clearance. These restrictions also put the remaining Israeli hostages at greater risk as they too face starvation under the siege.

Gaza Can’t Wait: Lift the Blockade Now! By Hassan El-Tayyab, Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) May 2, 2025

Letter to Congress

It is difficult to imagine a more egregious act than attacking a ship carrying humanitarian aid to over two million Palestinian civilians in Gaza, who face one of the world’s worst human-made humanitarian crises, with famine and disease, including a polio outbreak, spreading due to a lack of fundamental aid.

Yesterday, a ship of the Freedom Flotilla carrying aid for Gaza was attacked by drones, believed to have been from Israel.

While the attack occurred in International waters, Malta is investigating whether its airspace was breached.

The international community is outraged by this attack. I hope you will insist that an investigation into this takes place to determine what role the U.S. government will take to get desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza. And exert its influence to make Israel allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

And give voice to those who value every human life and seek a U.S. role in providing life-affirming aid rather than contributing to more violence. Palestinians, like Americans, deserve access to the most fundamental human needs, like food, medicine, and shelter.

Sincerely,
Jeff Kisling
Madison, WI