SHAH ALAM – A humanitarian vessel sailing under the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) mission was reportedly hit by a drone strike in Tunisian waters, igniting a fire while en route to Gaza.
The lead ship, known as the Family Boat, was part of a wider international effort to deliver aid to the besieged Palestinian territory.
According to Rahmat Ikhsan, better known as PU Rahmat and one of the Malaysian participants in the mission, the incident resulted in no injuries or fatalities.
“One of our ships was attacked by a drone and caught fire. Everyone remained calm as there were no casualties. All Malaysians are safe,” he said on Tuesday.
In a separate update, Cinta Salam Malaysia (CSM) founder Ahmad Musa Al-Nuwayri Kamaruzaman also a participant in the mission, shared on Instagram that the boat carrying activists Greta Thunberg of Sweden, Thiago Ávila of Brazil and Yasemin Acar of Germany, who also serves on the GSF steering committee was targeted while docked in Tunisia.
“No casualties have been reported. Please keep us in your prayers," he wrote.
The humanitarian voyage, which began on Aug 31 from the Port of Barcelona, involved 15 Malaysian volunteers.
The effort was part of the broader Global Sumud Flotilla initiative, which included more than 50 vessels and volunteers from 44 countries, all carrying food and medical supplies bound for Gaza.
Among the notable Malaysian participants in the convoy were Cinta Gaza Malaysia (CGM) chief executive officer Muhammad Nadir Al-Nuri Kamaruzaman, singer Zizi Kirana and actress Ardell Aryana.