Gaza-bound aid flotilla hit in drone attack near Malta: What to know
The attack on the flotilla comes as the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip deteriorates.
A ship carrying aid bound for Gaza was hit by drones and set ablaze in international waters off Malta in the early hours of Friday, amid international outcry over the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the besieged enclave.
What happened: The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an international NGO that organized the mission, said in a statement that the vessel, dubbed The Conscience, was the target of two drone attacks just after midnight local time.
It explained that volunteers from 21 countries were preparing to depart from Malta when armed drones "deliberately targeted the ship’s generator, leaving the crew without power and placing the vessel at great risk of sinking."
A vessel from southern Cyprus was dispatched to the scene after the vessel issued a distress call, according to the NGO.
