Sumud Flotilla for Gaza struck by drone off Tunisia coast

In the early hours of Tuesday, a drone struck the lead ship of the Global Sumud Flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip at Sidi Bou Said port off the coast of Tunisia, organisers said.

CCTV footage from a neighbouring boat shows a missile striking the front deck of the Family Boat, registered in Portugal and flying a Portuguese flag.

The six passengers and crew on board were unharmed, and the ship remains structurally intact despite fire damage. Tunisian authorities have denied detecting any drones near the flotilla.

Miguel Duarte, who was on board the Family Boat and witnessed the attack, told the Middle East Eye that he saw a drone hovering over the vessel before it dropped an explosive device.

"I saw a drone clearly about four metres above my head. I called someone. We were looking at the drone, just above our heads," he recounted.

Duarte said the drone stopped near the two crew members before moving slowly toward the ship’s forward deck, where it dropped what was "obviously a bomb".

"There was a huge explosion, lots of fire… We could have been killed," he added.

The Global Sumud Flotilla is an international civilian movement seeking to peacefully transport humanitarian aid to Gaza through international waters. Israel has imposed a total siege on the enclave, leaving its population of two million people facing famine.

'This is yet another attempt to scare and silence Palestinian solidarity but they will not succeed in doing that'

- Greta Thunberg

This is not the first attempt to breach Israel’s blockade of Gaza by sea. In June 2025, the Madleen, a UK-flagged vessel operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was intercepted by Israeli naval forces in international waters while en route to Gaza.

The 12-person crew, including Swedish climate Greta Thunberg, was detained and taken to Israel. 

In May, another humanitarian aid vessel, The Conscience, organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition was attacked by drones off the coast of Malta. The Conscience carried human rights activists and humanitarian aid destined for the Gaza Strip, and was due to be boarded by Thunberg.

Thunberg had travelled on the Family Boat before it docked in Tunisia over the weekend and was due to set sail on it again a few days later.

Speaking to MEE, Thunberg said: "This is yet another attempt to scare and silence Palestinian solidarity but they will not succeed in doing that."

'Keep your eyes on Gaza'

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack, while Tunisian authorities dismissed witness accounts from on board. The National Guard said in a Facebook post that initial investigations indicated the fire started in a life jacket, "as a result of a lighter or cigarette butt".

Tunisia’s interior ministry said that reports of a drone striking a boat off Sidi Bou Said port "have no basis in truth", adding that the fire had broken out on the vessel itself.

"It’s the responsibility of the Tunisian government to investigate this to the fullest extent," Alexander Hogg, a UK human rights lawyer accompanying the flotilla on an independent legal support boat, told MEE.

"As the vessel’s flag, Portugal also has a responsibility under international law to be involved. They should work with the Tunisian government in respect of its investigation."

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Under maritime law, it is the flag state’s responsibility to take measures to ensure safety at sea.

"If this does turn out to be an attack on the vessel then this would be a clear violation of the UN Charter," Hogg said.

Thiago Avila, one of the organiser of the Global Sumud Flotilla, told MEE: "It’s still too early to say who is the owner of these drones… But you don’t need to be a magician to know who has been attacking humanitarian missions in Gaza for so long, who has been assassinating aid workers, medical workers, civil defence workers, journalists.

"But keep your eyes on Gaza because when they attack a humanitarian mission like this it’s because they don’t want people to look at what they are doing in Gaza."

Huseyin Durmaz, a Turkish doctor accompanying the flotilla, said one passenger sustained a hand injury while another experienced breathing difficulties. He added that their condition has improved, though they remain under observation.

The UN special rapporteur on Palestine, Francesca Albanese, cited the attack to warn the hundreds of volunteers travelling with the flotilla about the risk of violent escalation.

Addressing all participants at a press conference, she said: “Please, please exert restraint and know every misstep will turn against all the others around you, and ultimately, the Palestinians. I just hope this did not delay your mission, did not alter your determination to go."