TRANSCRIPT
It was a quiet evening on the Mediterranean Sea, just 25 kilometres off the coast of Malta.
But then, just after midnight on Friday, a ship filled with humanitarian supplies was attacked by drones.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an N-G-O sending a number of ships filled with food and medicine to the besieged territory of Gaza, uploaded footage of a fire on one of its vessels, the 'Conscience', and holes blown through the hull of the ship.
"We have an attack just a few minutes back. Some drones attacked the Conscience. We are asking emergency relief to the Maltese authorities.""We got bombed. You see the holes over here? Oh, my God. Oh, my God. The fire is still going on. The Conscience has been bombed two times a few minutes ago."
None of the 30 activists onboard were killed but four have reportedly suffered minor injuries.
The Maltese government said the vessel and its crew were secured in the early hours of the morning after a nearby tug assisted with firefighting operations.
While it is not yet clear who is behind the attack, Huwaida Arraf, an organiser for the Freedom Flotilla has pointed the finger at Israel.
"Why we were attacked is because we were trying to bring life-saving aid to Gaza. Because Israel has the whole population of Gaza under siege in an illegal blockade that is deliberately denying basic food, water, and medicine to an entire civilian population. Everyone who is on that vessel knows the history of Israel attacking the flotillas, knows that Israel has killed our volunteers before. And they know that it is a dangerous mission. However, every one of us, everyone there is determined to continue."
Israel is still yet to respond to this allegation.
It has however attacked a similar flotilla in an infamous incident in 2010 where Israeli forces raided six civilian ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza in defiance of an Israeli naval blockade, killing 10 passengers and wounding 30.
The 'Conscience' and a number of other ships are hoping to break the two-month-long total blockade of Gaza which has now seen the region of around two million people deprived of almost all food and medical supplies.
(Sound of people screaming and banging their pots as they wait for food)
These are the sounds of those waiting in desperation at charity kitchens across the Gaza Strip only to be given the news that they simply have no more food to give.
Local Gazan authorities say at least 57 Palestinians have starved to death in the enclave because of the blockade, with one displaced mother, Niveen Abu Arar, saying her and her children are on the brink.
"We went and we couldn’t even find a dish of rice to get for our children and I came home with tears in my eyes and I was screaming. How long will life be like this? We’re slowly dying."
United Nations spokesman Stéphane Dujarric says this blockade must end.
"The longer this blockade continues, the more irreversible harm is being done to countless lives in Gaza. Fuel is also running out, and even existing stocks are often inaccessible. This is because many fuel stations are in areas where Israeli authorities systematically deny our request for access."
But for those activists attempting to disobey the Israeli blockade and provide vital aid to Palestinians, this attack on the Freedom Flotilla has been a setback.
S-B-S spoke to Australian activist Surya McEwan who was due to join the Gaza aid ship just hours after it was struck by drones.
He says he was shocked by the attack and also surprised by the Maltese authorities who he says have prevented he and his colleagues from helping the injured and providing any assistance necessary.
"It was shocking to all of us but we've had that feeling of being shocked by the atrocities that are happening over and over and over again for the last couple of years so maybe we shouldn't have been so shocked. It was a surprise though. Our intention today was to take a small crew out to tend to the injuries of those onboard and to assess the damage to the ship. The Maltese military intervened and we weren't able to get onto the ship."
Swedish activist, Greta Thunberg, was also due to board the 'Conscience' the day it was struck by drones.
She says the ship remains floating precariously after the attack and the journey of its fellow ships to Gaza remains uncertain given the threat of further attacks.
"The ship is currently still, as far as I know, at the location where it was attacked, because if it would move, too much water would come in, and it would sink. So that is where we are right now. What happens now is uncertain, but what is certain is that us human rights activists will continue to do everything in our power to do our part, to demand a free Palestine and demand the opening of a humanitarian corridor. The coming days and the coming months and years."
