Gaza 'Sumud' flotilla says second boat struck by drone attack, vows to continue on toward Gaza

The organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) said late on Tuesday night that a second vessel sailing in the flotilla was hit by a drone with an incendiary device, ahead of plans to sail from Tunisia on Wednesday. 

“The Global Sumud Flotilla confirmed that one of its boats was attacked by a drone while docked in Tunisian waters this Tuesday, marking the second attack of this kind in just two days against the humanitarian mission to Gaza,” GSF announced in a post to 𝕏. 

This marks the second such incident in two days, after the GSF had claimed on Tuesday that the vessel carrying members of the steering committee was hit by a drone. The group posted videos to social media of the alleged attack. 

"Another boat has been hit in a suspected drone attack. No injuries reported. Updates to follow soon," the GSF announced in a post to Instagram. 

On Tuesday night, crowds of supporters gathered on the docks of the Sidi Bou Said port in Tunisia, singing, waving flags, and setting of flares and fireworks in support of the flotilla’s stated mission to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza. 

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Orientkrieg : Gaza Sumud
In dieser Nacht Solidaritätskundgebung für die Hilfsschiffe von @GlobalSumudFlot im Hafen von Tunis. Weitere Teilnehmer werden hier zur Flotilla hinzukommen. https://t.co/DnaisQb9Kx pic.twitter.com/NI79TS0wZL

— Dietmar Nix (@galottom) September 10, 2025

The GSF said it is seeking to break the naval blockade of Gaza, which it claims is illegal, and deliver humanitarian aid to the enclave. The organizers of the GSF have been involved in previous unsuccessful attempts to reach Gaza by sea. 

Israel has maintained a naval blockade of Gaza since Hamas seized control of the Strip following a short civil war with the Palestinian Authority-aligned Fatah organization in 2007. It argues that the blockade is necessary to prevent weapons smuggling, and Israel has intercepted previous attempts to bring weapons to Hamas via land and sea. 

During the events of Tuesday night, another fiery object was seen falling on a second boat, the Alma, which was docked in the harbor. Activists in the flotilla, and members of its steering committee, were quick to blame Israel for the attack. 

“For the second night in a row, our flotilla has been attacked,” said Thiago Ávila, a committee member. “We know how absurd it is, but it’s nothing compared to what they are doing to Palestinians in Gaza every single day. That’s why we need to continue going.” 

"This is drone strike number two on one of the boats,” Leila Hegazy, one of the activists, told Turkish TRTWorld. "We hope this is not a nightly occurrence, because they are playing lots of games.” 

Saif Abukeshek, a member of the GSF steering committee, was more direct in blaming Israel, telling Reuters that "Israel continues to breach international law and terrorize us. There is no other government that is interested in stopping such a civilian movement except the government of Israel.” 

“We will sail to break the blockade on Gaza no matter what they do,” Abukeshek said. 

His opinion was seconded by UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese, who lives in Tunis, and blamed Israel for the first attack.

“There is a history of attacks on the flotilla, there are current statements against the flotilla threatening [it] from Israel,” Albanese said following the incident on Monday evening. 

The IDF did not respond to a Reuters request for a comment on the incident.