Greta Thunberg’s ‘Gaza Flotilla’ Struck By ‘Drone’

A drone reportedly targeting a pro-Palestinian flotilla off the coast of Tunisia may have struck a vessel that was carrying liberal wunderkind Greta Thunberg’s volunteers, according to Middle East media reports.

Thunberg, 22, was in the lead boat among a flotilla on a mission to deliver aid to Gazans, organizers said.

The strike reportedly targeted the “Family Boat,” the lead craft flying under a Portuguese flag in Tunisian waters, while carrying food, medical supplies, and members of the group’s Steering Committee, the Global Sumud Flotilla stated in a post on Monday.

The statement added that Thunberg and other members of the Steering Committee were inside the Sidi Bou Said port when the drone struck.

The ship’s main deck and storage area were engulfed by flames and sustained heavy damage, they said, but all six passengers on the boat were unharmed.

Footage of the harrowing drone strike shows organizers scrambling to safety after the drone’s missile hit in a burst of light that briefly engulfed the screen.

“There’s a fire on the front deck!” someone screamed in the clip as flames began to grow.

Thunberg, who has been in the public eye as an eco-warrior since she was a child, was leading a flotilla of 20 boats that set sail on Aug. 31 for what they billed as the “largest solitary mission” to provide aid to Palestinians amidst Israel’s war against Hamas. Israel had threatened to arrest and detain Thunberg for leading the mission.

An Israeli newspaper confirmed that authorities were waiting to intercept the vessels and that passengers would be sent to “terrorist-level” conditions in detention centers for disobeying their orders against entering the territory.

Before setting out, Thunberg publicly stated that the mission was “part of a global uprising of people standing up” to “atrocities” in Gaza.

“Acts of aggression aimed at intimidating and derailing our mission will not deter us. Our peaceful mission to break the siege on Gaza and stand in solidarity with its people continues with determination and resolve,” the Global Sumud Flotilla said in the statement following the reported drone attack, the NY Post reported.

It’s unclear which country or group struck the flotilla with a drone, and the attack remains under investigation, the group said.

However, Tunisian authorities dispute Thunberg’s claim, saying that they detected “no drone” in the vicinity at the time of the explosion, according to the BBC.

David Heathcote, Head of Intelligence at McKenzie Intelligence Services, told the BBC the nature of the impact angle in footage implies “that the object has been dropped, rather than launched or fired.”

“If so, it could be that a drone was used to maneuver over the ship before the package was released on to it,” he said.