The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) for Gaza said on Tuesday (September 9) that one of its main boats was struck by a drone in Tunisian waters, though all six passengers and crew are safe.

The Portuguese-flagged boat, carrying the flotilla's steering committee, sustained fire damage to its main deck and below-deck storage, the GSF said in a statement.The flotilla is an international initiative seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to war-torn Gaza via civilian boats supported by delegations from 44 countries.

Tunisia’s National Guard spokesman told Mosaique FM radio that reports of a drone attack on the flotilla "have no basis in truth," adding that an initial inspection indicated the explosion originated inside the vessel.

After the strike, dozens of people gathered outside Tunisia's Sidi Bou Said port, where the flotilla's boats were docked, waving Palestinian flags and chanting "Free Palestine," a Reuters witness said. Israel has imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, saying it aims to stop weapons from reaching the militant group.

The blockade has remained in place through conflicts including the current war, which began when Hamas attacked south Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, Israeli tallies showed.

Israel's subsequent military assault against Hamas has killed over 64,000 Palestinians, Gaza's health ministry said, while a global hunger monitor said part of the enclave is suffering from famine.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SIDI BOU SAID, TUNISIA (SEPTEMBER 9, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all) (NIGHT SHOTS)

1. VARIOUS OF GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA BOATS ANCHORED OFF THE SHORES OF SIDI BOU SAID, WITH SECURITY FORCES INSPECTING THE BOATS

2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA MEMBER AND BRAZILIAN ACTIVIST, THIAGO ÁVILA, SAYING:

“Unfortunately, we have to tell the world that once again our non-violent humanitarian and solidarity mission to Gaza to break the siege and to create a humanitarian corridor has been attacked. The team that was on the boat, they spotted a drone approaching. This drone flew above the boat, went to the front of the boat, to the bow of the boat, and dropped an explosive device that put the boat on fire. The crew fought this fire, they finished this fire, and then we are having, unfortunately, to tell the world that once again a mission full of humanitarian aid, full of medicine, full of food for children that are being starved in Gaza has been attacked, has been temporarily stopped.”

3. VARIOUS OF SUPPORTERS CHANTING SLOGANS AT THE PORT, SHOWING SOLIDARITY WITH THE FLOTILLA

4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA MEMBER AND BRAZILIAN ACTIVIST, THIAGO ÁVILA, SAYING:

“It's still too early to say who is the owner of these drones, but we know very well, you don't need to be a magician, you don't need to guess very far to know who has been attacking humanitarian missions to Gaza for so long, who has been assassinating aid workers, who has been assassinating medical workers, United Nations workers, civil defence workers, journalists, who has been doing all that on a genocide. So it's not very hard to understand who did this or at the service of who was these drones.”

5. SECURITY FORCES BOAT PASSING

6. SUPPORTERS CHANTING