Above photo: Esra Hacioğlu – Anadolu Agency.
UPDATE ON ATTACK ON FLOTILLA as of 02:31 CEST 24/9/2025 (6 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time)
Total 11 boats have been confirmed to have been attacked using chemical devices or flashbangs. Four boats sustained damaged. No injuries to crew reported. First strike on Veterans boat at 9:00 PM UTC.
Boat flags: UK, Italy, Poland
Location: international waters south-west of Crete island (Greece)
Message from onboard:
“I don’t have all the deets yet, but know that we were the first boat to be targeted tonight. Whatever the quad copter dropped bounced off the deck and bounced into the water.
The flotilla has been targeted 9 times tonight, roughly every 15 minutes. With some kind of explosive detonating just above each boat attacked. One report of a damaged mast. Everyone is ok.
They also highjacked our comms and started playing Abba, Take a chance on me. So we’re switching channels.
Multiple drones still circling way above. Unsure where quad copters are being deployed from.
Please prepare to reach out to state leadership tomorrow and the Department of State.”
The flotilla has now entered the ‘yellow zone’ where Israeli attacks are more likely.
The International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza (ICBSG) said on 21 September that unidentified drones have flown over the Global Sumud Flotilla, with some passing unusually close to the vessels.
The group described the activity on Facebook as an “unusual level of drone activity causing concerns.”
Volunteers on board confirmed they are preparing for the possibility of Israeli interception, holding nighttime drills as the ships entered the so-called “yellow zone” south of Greece, where Israeli attacks are considered increasingly likely.
Mission update: 715 nautical miles to Gaza.
The ships of the Global Sumud Flotilla are now coming together with the Greek fleet joining soon, as we head into the final weeks of our humanitarian mission to reach Gaza and break Israel’s illegal blockade.
… https://t.co/vcumrDdcQj— Global Sumud Flotilla (@gbsumudflotilla) September 22, 2025
Organizers said the training focused on nonviolent responses should Israeli forces storm the flotilla as they did with the previous two missions to Gaza.
Israeli officials have branded the mission a “jihadi flotilla” and claimed links to Hamas, while drones have continued to appear above the convoy as it advances toward Gaza.
Zaher Birawi, president of the ICBSG, told Quds Press on Saturday that the Sumud Flotilla was the 38th attempt to break the blockade.
Why would so many people put themselves in danger on a mission like this? As gently put by Global Sumud Flotilla participant, Surya McEwen, it’s the wrong question.
“It fundamentally misunderstands the nature of the human condition.”
With over a millio… https://t.co/0GDDy8YSLa
— Global Sumud Flotilla (@gbsumudflotilla) September 22, 2025
He said 44 ships had already left Italian ports, while six more were preparing to depart from Greece.
The convoy, which set sail from Sicily on Friday, brings together hundreds of volunteers and participants.
According to organizers, it represents the largest maritime mission yet against the blockade, with the journey expected to take about a week to reach the besieged enclave.
On 16 September, 16 states, including Turkiye, Spain, Brazil, and Bangladesh, issued a joint warning to Israel not to target the flotilla.
Their statement stressed that the ships’ aim was to deliver humanitarian aid and highlight the catastrophic conditions in Gaza, adding that “Any violation of international law and human rights of the participants in the flotilla, including attacks against the vessels in international waters or illegal detention, will lead to accountability.”
Two separate attacks on flotilla ships were reported earlier this month.
On 10 September, a drone strike hit the British-flagged Alma off Tunisia, igniting a fire on its upper deck.
The day before, the Family vessel was damaged when a drone dropped an incendiary device onto its deck near a fuel container.
Israel has previously assaulted humanitarian convoys in international waters. On 27 July, its forces seized the Handala and forced it into Ashdod, and on 9 June, the Madleen was intercepted as it neared Gaza, with 12 activists detained.
