Spain and Italy deploy warships to protect Gaza-bound flotilla

The move comes after the ships, which have Palestinian activists onboard, came under a drone attack

Italy and Spain have pledged to deploy warships to protect the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), a civilian fleet of some 50 ships headed for Gaza after it came under a new drone attack.

The ships carrying humanitarian supplies set sail from Barcelona early in September to try to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.  

The fleet, with 500 activists and politicians onboard, came under a drone attack late on Tuesday off the coast of Greece. Activists said the vessels were targeted by drones that dropped explosive devices and caused more than a dozen explosions around the ships. They blamed Israel for the attack.

Following the incident, Rome and Madrid said they would dispatch navy ships to protect the flotilla and ensure the safety of their citizens aboard. Italian PM Giorgia Meloni condemned the drone attacks while calling the GSF flotilla a “dangerous, irresponsible” means to deliver aid. 

“It is not an act of war, it is not a provocation: it is an act of humanity, which is a duty of a state towards its citizens,” Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told the country’s parliament.

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A similar rationale for the warship’s deployment was given by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who said the vessel was needed “to ensure that, if necessary, our citizens can be rescued.”  

“I want to make it clear to the government of Israel that Spain will, of course, protect its nationals, and we will do so both diplomatically and politically,” he stressed.

Israel has pledged to stop the flotilla from entering the Palestinian enclave, arguing that it was an “active combat zone” put under “lawful naval blockade.” West Jerusalem halted two previous attempts to break the blockade taken by the activists in June and July.  

Rome had proposed a compromise whereby the aid could be unloaded in Cyprus, an idea Meloni said had garnered the backing of Israel. The Italian delegation within the GSF, however, rejected such a plan on behalf of the flotilla, stating its “mission stays true to its original goal.”