The organisers of the Global Sumud Flotilla for Gaza (GSF), which comprises 20 vessels carrying pro-Palestinian activists from 44 nations, have said that a Portuguese-flagged vessel in the convoy had been struck by a drone while outside the port of Sidi Bou Said in Tunisia.
The flotilla is attempting to break Israel’s naval blockade and deliver much-needed aid to Palestinians from Gaza.
The Portuguese-flagged boat, which was carrying the flotilla’s steering committee, sustained damage to its main deck and below-deck storage as a fire broke out following the alleged attack.
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Everyone on board was safe after the incident, the GSF organisers said in a statement.
In a series of short videos posted on social media, spokespeople for the GSF said they can confirm that one of the main boats was “struck by what is suspected to be a drone”.
Journalist Yusuf Omar said he was sleeping when he heard the explosion.
“A big explosion happened right next to our diesel tank,” he added.
Confirmed – it was a drone that dropped explosives on the Flotilla pic.twitter.com/EFNvTyL7N4
— Yusuf Omar 🎥📱 (@YusufOmarSA) September 9, 2025
“The neighbouring boats spotted a drone coming in. They said it flew above basically where I was sleeping, and then it went to the front and detonated.”
Another eyewitness told Seen TV: “I saw a drone dropping a bomb on us… There was a fire on the front deck that we fought. It is out now. Everybody’s safe.”
The Tunisian authorities have said the claims that the vessel came under drone attack are untrue, and Tunisia’s National Guard spokesperson told Mosaique FM radio that reports of a drone attack on the flotilla “have no basis in truth”, according to Reuters.
They added that following an initial inspection, they believe the explosion originated inside the vessel.
However, UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur and Tunisian resident Francesca Albanese said that if an attack could be verified, it would be an “assault and aggression against Tunisia, and Tunisian sovereignty”.
Breaking news;
Here is the security camera footage from the Family vessel of the Sumud Flotilla, stationing just outside Tunis port. So:
1. Sound of something that the crew identified as a drone.
2. Crews sounds the alarm and calls for help.
3. Explosion.
Draw your conclusions. pic.twitter.com/HmkFG7yaEt— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) September 8, 2025
She added that she was at Sidi Bou Said port and “trying to figure out the facts with local authorities” in a post on X/Twitter.
Following the alleged drone strike, crowds of people have gathered outside Tunisia’s Sidi Bou Said port waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Free Palestine” in support of the flotilla’s efforts, according to local reports.
“We all know why we are here,” said Thunberg after she was met by hundreds of activists at the port.
“Just across the water there’s a genocide going on, a mass starvation by Israel’s murder machine,” she added.
The GSF organisers said the aim of their mission is to “break Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza”.
Israel has imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave since 2007, as it said it aims to stop weapons from reaching Hamas militants.
The GSF mission comes after Israel sealed off Gaza by land in early March, letting in no supplies for three months, which has resulted in an ongoing humanitarian crisis as Palestinians are facing starvation.
In August, a UN-backed body confirmed there was famine in Gaza due to Israel’s “systematic obstruction” of aid entering the territory.
In June, Israeli naval forces boarded and seized a British-flagged yacht carrying Thunberg, among other activists, as they claimed it was a propaganda stunt.
Israel’s almost two-year-long war on Gaza has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian health ministry, which is controlled by Hamas.
