The Global Sumud Flotilla, en route to Gaza on a humanitarian mission including three Portuguese nationals, among them the leader of the BE, Mariana Mortágua, encountered a second drone “attack” just 24 hours following a similar incident.
The flotilla reported that this time the vessel hit was ‘Alma’, flying a British flag. Previously, the ‘Family Boat’, under the Portuguese flag and carrying members of the organization’s Steering Committee, was targeted.
Both incidents took place in Tunisia, with the first occurring in Tunis and the second near Sidi Bou Saïd, north of the Tunisian capital. No injuries were reported in either incident.
Mariana Mortágua posted a video of the event on Instagram. “We are on our boat and a drone just dropped a new incendiary device on the boat right in front of us. We saw the flash and saw the projectile being launched,” she noted.
In another video, the Bloco coordinator confirmed that “everything is under control”: “We sent a small boat to check what was happening. To assist the boat, which is smoking. We are watching from here. Share the information. Share that another boat was attacked by a device. But everything is under control at this moment and we have boats going there to check on the crew,” she described.
Mariana Mortágua promised further “reports” for today, Wednesday, September 10, leaving a reminder: “While humanitarian boats are attacked in Tunisia, the genocide continues in Palestine.”
Activist Miguel Duarte, also part of the mission that embarked on August 31 heading to Gaza, reacted on social media. “Another drone attack. This time on the ship Alma. Crew managed to extinguish the fire. Two days, two bombings. We need international pressure,” he wrote on Instagram.
In Instagram stories, former model and actress Sofia Aparício also shared footage of the incident. “That boat over there was just attacked by a drone. We were on deck, on watch, and that boat over there was just attacked by a drone. A support boat of ours is already on its way,” she pointed out.
In another video, the artist, describing herself as a “dream activist” on Instagram, showed a police boat next to ‘Alma’, affirming, like Mariana Mortágua, that “everything is under control.”
“It’s the second consecutive day the flotilla has been attacked. I am tired of repeating this. We are civilians, unarmed, carrying humanitarian aid. In what world do we live in? Criminals go unpunished, and unarmed civilians with humanitarian aid are attacked,” she emphasized.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, aiming to be “the largest humanitarian mission in history” with the Palestinian territory of Gaza, initially departed from Barcelona. ‘Sumud’ is an Arabic word meaning resilience.
Israeli forces are conducting an offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in more than 64,600 deaths in the Hamas-governed territory since 2007.
This offensive followed the Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which led to approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages.
Israel, which has announced an operation to seize the city of Gaza in the northern enclave, faces accusations of genocide and using starvation as a weapon of war, allegations it denies.
The UN declared a hunger situation in northern Gaza in August, the first such declaration in the Middle East.
