FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
A noise, then an explosion. And immediately the cries of those who were on guard on the bridge and who sounded the alarm, woke up the crew, calling to get out, to hurry: “Fire, fire!”. At night, a military drone hit one of the main ships of the Spanish delegation of the Global Sumud Flotilla, the Family boat, on which several members of the organizing committee were traveling, including Greta Thunberg, Yasemin Acar and Thiago Avila. The footage shared by the activists shows the exact moment when the explosive device was released, the explosion is clearly heard, but for the moment the Tunisian authorities seem to be trying to tone it down. “According to initial verifications, a fire was recorded on the life jackets,” Houcem Eddine Jebabli, spokesman for the National Guard, told AFP, emphasizing that “no drone was detected.” However, the videos immediately shared by the Global Sumud Flotilla tell a different story.
The family boat, which arrived in Sidi Bou Said, a small tourist port near Tunis, on Sunday evening, was anchored there with others, waiting to make its way to the Strip. “The drone came over us and dropped the bomb, suddenly the whole bridge was engulfed in flames,” says Acar, who in recent months has been on board the Madleen with the young Swedish activist and, like her, was captured by the IDF, taken to Ashdod, detained and then deported. “Everyone on board is fine and the flames have been extinguished,” Acar explains in a video. At the moment, there is no evidence that it was an Israeli drone, but no one – especially after the open threats of Minister Ben Gvir – has any doubts about it.
The ship, which sails under the Portuguese flag, has suffered extensive damage. The upper deck is almost completely burned, the main mast has also been damaged and the fire has also consumed parts of the hold. It is impossible to continue sailing in a short time. “Once again,” says Acar, his voice trembling with anger and indignation, “they have bombed a ship with civilians on Tunisian territory.” The same thing happened in May. Near Malta, the Al Damir, the first sailing ship of the Flotilla to attempt to reach Gaza this year, was hit by two military drones near Malta and damaged beyond repair.
This – emphasizes the activist – is an attack against us, against a peaceful civilian mission, because they do not want us there. We must not remain silent, we must mobilize and do it quickly”. The condemnation comes from the crews of the entire Global Sumud Flotilla. “Acts of aggression that aim to scare us or to fail our mission will not stop us. Our collective goal to break the siege on Gaza and to express solidarity with its people will continue”. So, not a step back. Otherwise, it was one of the scenarios envisaged when the mission was built.
Now, however, it remains to be seen whether and to what extent the fleet will have to revise its schedule. The damage to the Family boat is significant, and repair work will begin when it is safe to do so and when the Tunisian authorities, who have opened an official investigation into the incident, give their approval; at the moment it is impossible to predict exact times. It is possible that the crew will find space on other ships or that a replacement will be sought, but all of these are solutions that are being considered at this time. For the Global Sumud Flotilla, it is the first night of anger, fear and anxiety. And everyone is convinced that it will not be the last.
Lini një Përgjigje