Tunisia’s Interior Ministry said there is "no basis in truth" to claims that a drone struck a Gaza-bound flotilla led by climate activist Greta Thunberg, saying investigators believe the fire that damaged the lead vessel was likely started aboard the boat.
The ministry said the blaze occurred Monday off the Tunisian port of Sidi Bou Said and that preliminary findings indicate the fire may have been caused on board, possibly by a cigarette. National Guard spokesman Houcem Eddine Jebabli told Agence France-Presse that "no drones have been detected" and that "a fire broke out in the life jackets on board." Organisers of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) had posted footage they said showed something falling from above and accused an outside strike of igniting the blaze.
GSF said the main deck and below-deck storage of the lead vessel were set ablaze and sustained damage but that none of the six passengers and crew aboard were injured. The flotilla — a group of about 20 boats that departed from Barcelona on Aug. 31 — aims to break Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and deliver humanitarian aid. The initiative includes delegations from more than 40 countries and has drawn repeated criticism from Israeli authorities.
Organisers posted dramatic video they said captured the moment of impact; the footage was circulated on social media by participants and supporters. Tunisia’s statement, and the National Guard’s comments to AFP, said there was no evidence of drone activity in the area when the fire began. Israeli officials did not immediately comment on the Tunisian assessment.
The flotilla is part of an international effort to challenge a blockade that Israel has maintained on the Gaza Strip since 2007. Israeli officials have in the past described such missions as publicity-driven, with the Foreign Ministry previously saying, "There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve Instagram selfies." In June, Israeli authorities seized an aid ship in a prior attempt to reach Gaza; Thunberg and other activists were detained and later deported to their home countries.
Tunisian authorities said they are continuing their investigation into the cause of the fire. The flotilla's organisers say their intent is to deliver humanitarian supplies and draw international attention to the situation in Gaza. The incident comes amid heightened sensitivities over maritime operations in the eastern Mediterranean and growing scrutiny of attempts to challenge the blockade.
Officials from the flotilla and Tunisian agencies offered differing accounts on the cause of the blaze. Tunisian statements emphasised preliminary forensic findings and the absence of drone detections, while flotilla organisers maintained that video evidence and eyewitness reports suggested an external strike. Independent verification of the footage and forensic findings was not immediately available.
The event did not result in injuries but increased diplomatic attention on the flotilla’s mission and on broader questions about maritime safety, the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and the legal and political disputes surrounding the naval blockade.