Tunisian authorities have firmly rejected claims that a boat carrying climate activist Greta Thunberg and other pro-Palestinian activists was struck by a drone attack, stating the allegations “have no basis in truth” after the group reported their vessel came under fire. The incident occurred at Tunisia’s Sidi Bou Said port, where a fire broke out on what activists called the “Family Boat,” part of a larger flotilla attempting to deliver aid to Gaza.
Fellow activist Yasemin Acar posted dramatic footage on Instagram showing the aftermath of the blaze. “The Family boat has been officially attacked – a drone came right above it, released a bomb and it exploded and the boat was on fire,” Acar declared in her social media post. She added that all passengers were safe and the fire had been extinguished. However, Tunisia’s interior ministry contradicted these claims entirely.
Officials stated that reports of a drone striking the vessel were “completely unfounded” and suggested the fire originated from the boat itself. The Tunisian national guard released a statement on their official Facebook page indicating the fire may have been caused by a cigarette. Spokesman Houcem Eddine Jebabli told AFP that “no drones have been detected” and that preliminary findings showed “a fire broke out in the life jackets on board.”
Despite official denials, some international figures supported the activists’ version of events. Francesca Albanese, the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, was present at the port during the incident. “We do not know who carried out the attack, but we would not be surprised if it was Israel. If confirmed, it is an attack against Tunisian sovereignty,” Albanese told Reuters.
Thunberg is participating in what organizers call a “peaceful mission” involving approximately 350 activists and aid workers sailing to deliver supplies to Palestinians in Gaza. The vessel in question was flying under a Portuguese flag and carrying members of the flotilla’s steering committee. The boat reportedly sustained only minor damage from the fire.
Thunberg claimed the vessel carried many of the same individuals who were detained with her during a previous attempt to reach Gaza in June. “They have bombed a boat with civilians on it in Tunisian territory. This is an attack against Gaza because they don’t want us there. So we need you to mobilise. Let’s not stay quiet,” she stated, according to reporting from the Daily Mail.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, the organization behind the mission, issued a statement confirming what they described as an attack. The group said the boat “was struck by what is suspected to be a drone” and vowed that such acts would not deter their mission. “Acts of aggression aimed at intimidating and derailing our mission will not deter us. Our peaceful mission to break the siege on Gaza and stand in solidarity with its people continues with determination and resolve,” the statement read.
Israel has previously labeled the flotilla’s volunteers as “terrorists” and warned they would face arrest if they attempted to breach the naval blockade around Gaza. No nation has officially claimed responsibility for any attack on the vessels.
Speaking from Tunisia on Sunday, Thunberg addressed cheering crowds as their boat docked at the port of Sidi Bou Said. “We all know why we are here. Just across the water there’s a genocide going on, a mass starvation by Israel’s murder machine,” she declared.
The incident follows reports of drone activity around the flotilla from the previous week. Activist Yasemin had posted another Instagram video stating they had “detected the first drones” when the flotilla was approximately 90 nautical miles from the Spanish island of Menorca. “From what we can tell and the information we are getting, every boat right now in the flotilla has a drone above them,” she said in that earlier video.
This marks Thunberg’s second attempt to reach Gaza by sea. Resist the Mainstream had reported that in June, Israeli forces intercepted her previous vessel, the Madleen, carrying 12 people including Thunberg, who was subsequently deported. During that incident, Israel was accused of using drones to spray an irritant substance on the flotilla before boarding and detaining the activists. Images from that encounter showed the deck covered with an unidentified white liquid that activists claimed affected their eyes.
