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London: Australian officials fear for the safety of a global flotilla sailing toward Gaza after drones swept over vessels carrying Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and other activists seeking to break an Israeli blockade.
Six Australians are on board some of the 50 civilian ships from 44 nations attempting to land on the Gaza shore in defiance of Israeli controls on humanitarian aid for the war-torn zone, where doctors say Palestinians are suffering malnutrition and civilian casualties.
Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Matt Thistlethwaite repeated Australia’s call on Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza as he expressed concern about the safety of those on board the civilian fleet.
Activists in the flotilla have reported being intercepted by Israeli ships as they approach the Gaza coast, and their social media posts suggest they could be near the shoreline on Wednesday night, AEST.
“Last night, several Israeli naval ships menaced our convoy. They attacked our vessels, intimidated our crew and disabled our communications,” said David Adler, a Jewish member of the convoy.
The Australian government did not reach a public conclusion about the events but expressed its concern about the danger for those on board.
“I’m deeply concerned by the alleged drone attacks on the Global Sumud Flotilla and the risks to the safety of Australians and other passengers onboard,” Thistlethwaite said in a statement.
“Australia calls on all parties to respect international law and international humanitarian law, and to refrain from any unlawful or violent act against the Flotilla.
“We understand people are distressed and want to respond to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza – we also want to see critical aid being delivered.
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“However, we are very concerned about the safety of these people, including Australians.”
The organisers of the flotilla said on Wednesday afternoon, AEST, that the vessels were nearing Gaza.
“We continue to sail to Gaza approaching the 120 nautical mile mark, near the area where previous flotillas have been intercepted or attacked,” they said.
Israel has said it would use any means necessary to prevent the boats from reaching Gaza because it argues its naval blockade is a legal means to defeat Hamas, the group that launched an attack on Israel in October 2023 and is listed by Australia and others as a terrorist organisation.
While Italian vessels escorted the flotilla at some stages of the journey, Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni urged the flotilla to stop and made it clear this naval support would not continue.
The Times of Israel reported on Wednesday that the Israeli Navy was expected to board the boats, detain the activists and transfer them to a single naval ship before taking them to Ashdod port and arranging their deportation.
It said some of the vessels might be towed to Ashdod, although it also cited unnamed military sources saying they expected to sink some of the boats.
Sydney content creator Abubakir Rafiq is part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, headed towards Gaza. Credit: @abubakirrafiq
A video posted last week showed what appeared to be an explosion near one of the vessels, Spectre, which is carrying Sydney content creator Abubakir Rafiq.
“Last night, our boat the Spectre was hit by three drones,” Rafiq said in an Instagram video on September 24.
Tasmanian scientist Julia Henry, who said she was a “normal suburban mum” who wanted to help Gaza, is on board a Polish-flagged boat, the Huga.
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Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported on Monday that Turkish authorities rescued passengers and crew from one of the flotilla’s vessels when it issued a distress call in waters near Crete, Cyprus and Egypt.
Israeli forces seized a ship carrying Thunberg in June when it sought to break the Gaza blockade, transferring the activists to a port and detaining them for several days before deporting them.
Upon her release, Thunberg accused Israel of illegally kidnapping her and other activists because she argued they were in international waters.
Thunberg told the BBC on Sunday that the latest flotilla was not a publicity stunt but an attempt to help Palestinians in Gaza, saying Israel was breaking international law by trying to stop the activists.
“Why would they attack a peaceful humanitarian mission aiming to bring humanitarian aid to a starving population?” she said.
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