The Global Sumud Flotilla, which is making its way toward Gaza, claimed early Tuesday morning that one of its vessels was struck by what is suspected to be a drone, Reuters reported.
All passengers and crew were reported safe, the members of the flotilla stated.
The flotilla was docked in Tunisia's Sidi Bou Said port at the time of the alleged drone attack.
However, a spokesperson for Tunisia's National Guard announced that no drone activity was detected in the airspace over the port where the damaged vessel was docked.
The spokesperson also stated that the investigations are ongoing and that, based on an initial assessment, the incident most likely occurred due to a malfunction on the vessel.
20 vessels making up the flotilla set sail from Barcelona last Monday and arrived in Tunisia on Sunday, where they were joined by local teams and loaded with additional supplies before continuing toward Gaza.
The flotilla was to have set sail from Tunis on Sunday, but organizers announced Saturday that their departure has been postponed to Wednesday, citing “technical and logistical reasons beyond management’s control” for the delay.
Among the activists aboard the flotilla are Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and former Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau, who severed her city’s ties with Israel while in office. The flotilla has also garnered support from Hollywood figures such as Susan Sarandon and Liam Cunningham, known for his role in HBO’s “Game of Thrones.”
Thunberg was previously deported by Israel in June after taking part in another flotilla, the Madleen, which was intercepted by the IDF.
The activists were then given food and water, despite many of them having prepared prerecorded videos claiming that they were “kidnapped” by the IDF.
The Foreign Ministry said that the Gaza aid aboard the Madleen included less than a single truckload of aid, and it would be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels.