'Freedom flotilla' to Gaza claims targeted by drone, issues SOS - report

Unconfirmed Arab media reports attributed the strike to Israel. 

Screen capture of the "Freedom Flotilla" struck by drone off coast of Malta, May 2, 2025.  (photo credit: SCREENSHOT/X/VIA SECTION 27A OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT)
Screen capture of the "Freedom Flotilla" struck by drone off coast of Malta, May 2, 2025.
(photo credit: SCREENSHOT/X/VIA SECTION 27A OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT)

A vessel transporting humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip claimed it was targeted by a drone strike off the coast of Malta and issued an SOS signal, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) in a social media post on Friday. 

Unconfirmed Arab media reports attributed the strike to Israel, which did not comment on the reports.

Some 30 people were on board the ship at the time of the strike, which occurred shortly after 12 a.m., according to the post. 

The government of Malta issued a statement later saying 12 crew members and four civilians were on board the vessel, with no casualties reported.

At around 2:00 a.m.,  those on board "were confirmed safe but refused to board the tug," which had come to their aid, the statement noted, adding that at 3:45 a.m., the ship and the members on board were "secure."

 Graffiti is seen on the hull of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship 'Handala' as activists prepare to sail for Gaza. Malta August 16, 2024.  (credit: REUTERS/DARRIN ZAMMIT LUPI)
Graffiti is seen on the hull of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship 'Handala' as activists prepare to sail for Gaza. Malta August 16, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/DARRIN ZAMMIT LUPI)

"The ship remains outside territorial waters and is being monitored by the competent authorities," the statement read. 

“Our vessel is 17 kilometers off the shores of Malta right now in international waters, and they have been subjected to a drone attack twice,” the FFC's spokesperson, Yasemin Acar, told CNN. 

Vessel issues SOS signal

According to Acar, the generators at the ship's fore were the targets of the strike, adding that there was a hole in the ship that had begun to sink. 

Acar said that the vessel had also issued an SOS signal to Malta and other countries, and a small ship from Cyprus had been dispatched. 

The vessel is the Palau-registered "Conscience" according to the Marine Traffic website. 

The FFC defines itself as "a grassroots people-to-people solidarity movement composed of campaigns and initiatives from different parts of the world, working together to end the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza," according to its website. 

Amichai Stein contributed to this report.

This is a developing story.