UPI: Gaza aid ship damaged in alleged drone strike in western Mediterranean

UPI - Gaza aid ship damaged in alleged drone strike in western Mediterranean

By Paul Godfrey
World News May 2, 2025 / 7:35 AM



May 2 (UPI) -- A ship bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza was attacked by drones overnight in the Mediterranean Sea off Malta, setting the vessel ablaze and causing it to take on water.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said in a post on X that the 1,000-ton Conscience put out a SOS distress signal in the early hours of Friday after drones fired on it as it was sailing in international waters, approximately 16 miles off the coast of Malta, with 30 activists on board.

"The front of the vessel was targeted twice, resulting in a fire and a breach in the hull. The ship is currently located in international waters near Malta. We have sent an SOS distress signal out but no one has responded. Water is coming into the ship," said the group, which posted a video of a fierce above-deck blaze, which was then apparently extinguished by onboard firefighting systems.

FFC said it had been conducting the aid mission under a media blackout to reduce the likelihood of what it called "Israeli sabotage."

/snip