Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto on Wednesday condemned the drone assault on the Global Sumud Flotilla in the Mediterranean, and announced the deployment of an Italian naval frigate to protect participants and provide assistance.
In a statement, Crosetto said flotilla participants had come under attack by multiple drones from “currently unidentified perpetrators” off the coast of Greece.
Corsetto spoke with Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni, and “authorized the immediate intervention of the multipurpose frigate Fasan,” he wrote on X. The Italian military vessel is “already heading towards the area for possible rescue activities,” he added.
Six ships in the flotilla sailing toward Gaza to break Israel’s blockade were targeted by drone-fired projectiles and stun bombs, causing minor material damage but no casualties.
The International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza released a video showing a ship sailing alongside the flotilla, which it identified as an Italian rescue vessel. The committee also posted footage on its official social media pages documenting the drone assault earlier in the day.
Italian deputy foreign minister Antonio Tajani said he had asked Israel to guarantee the safety of Italian nationals, including members of parliament and the European Parliament, who are aboard the flotilla. Tajani also instructed the Italian embassy in Tel Aviv “to gather information and to reiterate its previous request to the Israeli government to guarantee the absolute protection of the personnel on board,” his office said in a statement.
Earlier this month, while docked in Tunisia, two Global Sumud Flotilla boats have already been struck with incendiary drones. No perpetrator has claimed responsibility, but activists on board have pointed to Israeli officials’ public threats to the flotilla.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has also upped the ante, ahead of the flotilla’s imminent arrival. In a statement posted to X, the ministry threatened that “Israel will take the necessary measures to prevent its entry into the combat zone and to stop any violation of a lawful naval blockade,” if the flotilla organizers refuse Israel’s proposal to “transfer any such aid to the Ashkelon Marina so it can be forwarded promptly to the Gaza Strip in a peaceful and non-violent manner.”
While the Israeli MFA stated it will make “every possible effort to ensure the safety of its passengers,” it has repeatedly referred to the flotilla as the “Hamas flotilla,” even going so far as to accuse its organizers of being active Hamas operatives.
The Sumud flotilla set sail from Barcelona with more than 300 activists, later stopping in Tunisia, where additional ships joined the convoy. Organizers continue to maintain that their mission is to deliver humanitarian aid, challenge Israel’s exclusive control of the enclave’s crossings, and spotlight the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
