Italy sends navy ship to help Gaza aid flotilla after drone attack

Activists wave connected a vessel taking portion successful a civilian flotilla bound for Gaza, aiming to interruption the Israeli blockade and present humanitarian aid, successful Barcelona, Spain, August 31, 2025. [Emilio Morenatti/AP]

Italy has dispatched a navy vessel to assistance an planetary assistance flotilla trying to present assistance to Gaza aft the flotilla said it was attacked overnight by drones successful planetary waters disconnected Greece.

The Global Sumud Flotilla is utilizing astir 50 civilian boats to try and interruption Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, with galore lawyers and activists onboard, including Swedish clime campaigner Greta Thunberg.

The vessels were attacked by 12 drones successful planetary waters 30 nautical miles disconnected the Greek land of Gavdos, said Marikaiti Stasinou, a spokesperson for March to Gaza Greece, which is portion of the flotilla.

All passengers are harmless aft drones exploded implicit the vessels, she told Reuters.

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said successful a statement the oversea convoy had been targeted by “currently unidentified perpetrators.” He expressed the “strongest condemnation” of the incident.

He added the Italian multi-purpose frigate Fasan, antecedently sailing northbound of Crete, was “already connected route” towards the flotilla “for imaginable rescue operations.”

An Italian authoritative said the navy had been mobilized chiefly to assistance Italians connected board. “If needed, our frigate has a well-stocked infirmary”, helium said.

Israel has repeatedly criticized the flotilla, accusing its activists of complicity with the Hamas militant group.

On Wednesday, the overseas ministry warned connected X that Israel “would take the indispensable measures” to stop it if it did not judge the alternate connection to driblet assistance successful an Israeli port, leaving it to Israeli authorities to take it to Gaza.

There was nary contiguous remark from the Israeli subject connected the overnight attack.

Stun grenades

Benedetta Scuderi, an Italian subordinate of the European Parliament for the leftist Greens-European Free Alliance radical who has joined the flotilla, told Italian nationalist vigor RAI that drones had dropped stun grenades.

One of them deed the mast of the sailing vessel connected which she is travelling, “completely damaging” the main sail, she said.

“We are successful planetary waters south of Crete and we were attacked for three hours without anyone intervening,” the parliamentarian said.

A Greek coastguard authoritative told Reuters that members of the flotilla contacted them astir 2 a.m. connected Wednesday to pass them of the incident. When approached by the European Union’s borderline bureau Frontex, however, the flotilla said it did not necessitate assistance, the authoritative added.

Thunberg said respective boats suffered harm aft they reported targeted explosions and unidentified objects dropping.

“We were alert of the risks of these kinds of attacks so that’s thing that is going to stop us,” she said successful a speech with UN Palestinian Territories adept Francesca Albanese, which was broadcast unrecorded connected Instagram connected Wednesday.

“We’re very, very determined to proceed our mission.”

This month, the flotilla reported drone attacks connected its boats while moored successful a Tunisian port. [Reuters]