The pro-Palestinian activists sailing a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza said on Tuesday that another one of their boats had been hit while docked off the Tunisian coast, with some flotilla members saying they had seen a drone before the ship caught fire.
Issued on: 10/09/2025 -
By: FRANCE 24
A ship (R), known as the "Family" and is part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, is anchored off the coast of the village of Sidi Bou Said on September 9, 2025. © Fethi Belaid, AFP
Organisers of a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists said late Tuesday that another of their boats had been struck in a suspected drone attack off Tunisia's coast.
Aiming to break Israel's blockade of Gaza, the flotilla was due to resume its voyage on Wednesday after being delayed multiple times by weather conditions and other issues.
"Second night, second drone attack," Melanie Schweizer, one of its coordinators, told AFP.
The British-flagged Alma was docked in Tunisian waters on Tuesday, when it was "attacked" and "sustained fire damage on its top deck", the Global Sumud Flotilla said in a statement, adding no one was hurt.
Organisers of a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists said late Tuesday that another of their boats had been struck in a suspected drone attack off Tunisia's coast.
Aiming to break Israel's blockade of Gaza, the flotilla was due to resume its voyage on Wednesday after being delayed multiple times by weather conditions and other issues.
"Second night, second drone attack," Melanie Schweizer, one of its coordinators, told AFP.
The British-flagged Alma was docked in Tunisian waters on Tuesday, when it was "attacked" and "sustained fire damage on its top deck", the Global Sumud Flotilla said in a statement, adding no one was hurt.
Tunisia thumbnail © France24
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AFP journalists at the scene saw a boat in the distance surrounded by Tunisian law enforcement vessels with flashing lights.
The incident comes a day after the activists said another of their boats was hit by a similar suspected UAV attack, but Tunisian authorities said "no drones" had been detected.
The activists said they would continue their "peaceful voyage" on Wednesday as planned, as the flotilla "presses forward with determination and resolve".
Two nights, two fires
Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, posted video of the burning Alma and said it indicated a UAV attack.
"Video evidence suggests a drone -- with no light so it could not be seen -- dropped a device that set the deck of the Alma boat on fire," she wrote on social media.
The flotilla arrived in Tunisia at the weekend and was anchored off the coast of Sidi Bou Said, north of Tunis, when it reported the first incident.
Some members of the flotilla said they saw the drone, adding that the boat's bow caught fire immediately after.
But authorities dismissed reports of a drone strike as "completely unfounded", suggesting the fire may have been caused by a cigarette butt.
Tunisian national guard spokesman Houcem Eddine Jebabli told AFP overnight "no drones have been detected".
Security footage posted by the flotilla organisers showed a burning mass falling from a distance onto the ship.
'Distract and derail'
The activists did not blame Israel for the suspected attacks in their statement but said "they come during intensified Israeli aggression on Palestinians in Gaza, and are an orchestrated attempt to distract and derail our mission".
The Israeli military did not respond to AFP's request for comment on Tuesday.
The United Nations declared famine last month in parts of Gaza, warning that 500,000 people face "catastrophic" conditions.
Sumud means "resilience" in English, and the flotilla describes itself as an independent group not linked to any government or political party.
Among its high-profile participants is environmental activist Greta Thunberg.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Gaza flotilla fire: What the surveillance videos
tell us
On the night of September 8-9, just after midnight, a boat that is part of a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza was struck by an incendiary device off the coast of Tunisia. Members of the Global Sumud Flotilla say they heard a drone flying three or four metres above their heads before the device hit, causing a fire that damaged the boat but caused no injuries. A drone expert said that such devices can be dropped by commercially available consumer drones.
Issued on: 09/09/2025 -
By: The FRANCE 24 Observers
Left: A surveillance video posted by the Global Sumud Flotilla early September 9, 2025 shows the moment an incendiary munition hit the flotilla’s “Family boat”. Right: The group also published surveillance videos filmed on board the vessel that was struck. © Observers
Organisers of the flotilla, which is carrying humanitarian aid and pro-Palestinian activists including Greta Thunberg, said the Portuguese-flagged Family Madeira, known by the group as the "Family Boat", was targeted by a drone while in Tunisian waters.
Videos and expert analyses suggest the device was likely an improvised incendiary dropped from a commercial or retail drone, rather than a military-grade drone, or UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle). While members of the group suggested Israel might have been behind the attack, this kind of technology is widely accessible to the public, and such an attack could have been carried out by virtually anyone.
The flotilla, which aims to deliver aid to Gaza in defiance of Israel’s blockade, had arrived in Tunisia over the weekend. Tracking data on the group’s website indicates that the vessel was moored some 600 metres from the port of Sidi Bou Said.
Organisers of the flotilla, which is carrying humanitarian aid and pro-Palestinian activists including Greta Thunberg, said the Portuguese-flagged Family Madeira, known by the group as the "Family Boat", was targeted by a drone while in Tunisian waters.
Videos and expert analyses suggest the device was likely an improvised incendiary dropped from a commercial or retail drone, rather than a military-grade drone, or UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle). While members of the group suggested Israel might have been behind the attack, this kind of technology is widely accessible to the public, and such an attack could have been carried out by virtually anyone.
The flotilla, which aims to deliver aid to Gaza in defiance of Israel’s blockade, had arrived in Tunisia over the weekend. Tracking data on the group’s website indicates that the vessel was moored some 600 metres from the port of Sidi Bou Said.
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Tracking data on the Global Sumud Flotilla website indicates that the Family Madeira was moored off the coast of Tunisia on the night of 8-9 September 2025, approximately 600m from the port or Sidi Bou Said. © Observers
Tunisian authorities have denied claims that the boat was struck by a drone, insisting instead that the fire broke out on the vessel itself. A surveillance video filmed from another vessel in the flotilla shows an incendiary device falling vertically onto the Family Madeira from a height of at least three metres above its top deck, creating a bright flash as screams are heard from the vessel. Other videos filmed on board the vessel show a fire breaking out. No drone is visible in the surveillance videos, which are filmed from cameras with fixed angles.
Tunisian authorities have denied claims that the boat was struck by a drone, insisting instead that the fire broke out on the vessel itself. A surveillance video filmed from another vessel in the flotilla shows an incendiary device falling vertically onto the Family Madeira from a height of at least three metres above its top deck, creating a bright flash as screams are heard from the vessel. Other videos filmed on board the vessel show a fire breaking out. No drone is visible in the surveillance videos, which are filmed from cameras with fixed angles.
Surveillance video published by the Global Sumud Flotilla early September 9, 2025 shows the moment just before 00:30 a.m. when an incendiary device hit one of the flotilla’s boats. The video was one of at least three videos published by the group that showed a projectile hitting the boat.
'The drone operator had prior experience'
Roy Gardiner, an online investigator specialising in drone warfare, analysed the images.
In the main video of the incident, we see a flaming object falling almost vertically from the sky. UAVs used in conflicts like Ukraine typically explode on contact or drop small bombs.
But we also see drones being used to drop incendiary munitions, and this video is consistent with that kind of drone. These drones don’t have to be very large, and the object would have been ignited upon release from the UAV.
In a media interview, one participant described a drone hovering around four metres over his head before “dropping a bomb on a pile of life jackets” located at the front of the boat.
Roy Gardiner, an online investigator specialising in drone warfare, analysed the images.
In the main video of the incident, we see a flaming object falling almost vertically from the sky. UAVs used in conflicts like Ukraine typically explode on contact or drop small bombs.
But we also see drones being used to drop incendiary munitions, and this video is consistent with that kind of drone. These drones don’t have to be very large, and the object would have been ignited upon release from the UAV.
In a media interview, one participant described a drone hovering around four metres over his head before “dropping a bomb on a pile of life jackets” located at the front of the boat.
A member of the Global Sumud Flotilla describes an overnight drone attack on one of the group’s boats early September 9, 2025.
Roy Gardiner continued:
Based on eyewitness accounts and the available video footage, this is exactly how a bomb-dropping UAV would operate. It hovers over the target to ensure a highly accurate drop.
It’s unlikely that someone could carry out such a precise strike by chance, so I’d suggest the drone operator had prior experience. This isn’t something easily done. The pilot could have been operating from as far as five to six kilometres away.
Roy Gardiner continued:
Based on eyewitness accounts and the available video footage, this is exactly how a bomb-dropping UAV would operate. It hovers over the target to ensure a highly accurate drop.
It’s unlikely that someone could carry out such a precise strike by chance, so I’d suggest the drone operator had prior experience. This isn’t something easily done. The pilot could have been operating from as far as five to six kilometres away.
The Global Sumud Flotilla published two surveillance videos from the Family Madeira. At 0’10 in the top video (timestamp 00:29:45) a crew member looks up as he appears to see something. Two seconds later, at 00:29:47, the incendiary device hits. The bottom video shows the same scene from a different angle.
Members of the flotilla have suggested Israel as the likely perpetrator of the attack.
“It’s too soon to say who owns these drones, but we know very well who has been targeting humanitarian missions to Gaza for a long time,” a flotilla spokesperson told the media.
Members of the flotilla have suggested Israel as the likely perpetrator of the attack.
“It’s too soon to say who owns these drones, but we know very well who has been targeting humanitarian missions to Gaza for a long time,” a flotilla spokesperson told the media.
Footage published by the Global Sumud Flotilla on X early September 9, 2025 shows apparent fire damage after an overnight drone attack on one of their boats.
The expert emphasised that the low-grade technology used in the attack is easily accessible to the public:
Retail drones like the DJI Mavic 3 — available worldwide — are capable of carrying out missions of this kind. They are very quiet, easy to purchase, and relatively simple to operate, especially compared with FPVs [first-person view drones] widely used in Ukraine, which are far more difficult to fly.
There are standard, well-known methods for modifying these commercial drones to drop payloads. A basic 3D-printed release mechanism, which can be attached to the drone, is commonly used in Ukraine. Digital blueprints for such devices are routinely shared on Telegram channels.
The device used in this case was small and the attack wasn’t lethal. It didn’t cause significant damage. But we can’t rule out the possibility of a government being behind it. Using low-grade technology might be a deliberate choice to create distance and plausible deniability, while still delivering a warning.
There have been previous allegations of drone attacks on aid ships bound for Gaza. In May, the Freedom Flotilla said that its vessel The Conscience was struck by a drone off the coast of Malta.
A decade earlier, in 2010, Israeli commandos killed 10 people when they boarded the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish ship leading an aid flotilla to Gaza.
In August, a UN-backed body confirmed that famine was taking hold in Gaza, and the UN’s humanitarian chief described it as the direct result of Israel’s “systematic obstruction” of aid entering the territory.
The report was dismissed by Israel as an “outright lie”. Israeli officials continue to deny that there is starvation in Gaza.
The expert emphasised that the low-grade technology used in the attack is easily accessible to the public:
Retail drones like the DJI Mavic 3 — available worldwide — are capable of carrying out missions of this kind. They are very quiet, easy to purchase, and relatively simple to operate, especially compared with FPVs [first-person view drones] widely used in Ukraine, which are far more difficult to fly.
There are standard, well-known methods for modifying these commercial drones to drop payloads. A basic 3D-printed release mechanism, which can be attached to the drone, is commonly used in Ukraine. Digital blueprints for such devices are routinely shared on Telegram channels.
The device used in this case was small and the attack wasn’t lethal. It didn’t cause significant damage. But we can’t rule out the possibility of a government being behind it. Using low-grade technology might be a deliberate choice to create distance and plausible deniability, while still delivering a warning.
There have been previous allegations of drone attacks on aid ships bound for Gaza. In May, the Freedom Flotilla said that its vessel The Conscience was struck by a drone off the coast of Malta.
A decade earlier, in 2010, Israeli commandos killed 10 people when they boarded the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish ship leading an aid flotilla to Gaza.
In August, a UN-backed body confirmed that famine was taking hold in Gaza, and the UN’s humanitarian chief described it as the direct result of Israel’s “systematic obstruction” of aid entering the territory.
The report was dismissed by Israel as an “outright lie”. Israeli officials continue to deny that there is starvation in Gaza.
