Gaza aid flotilla stranded after Israeli attack as Malta blocks repairs

A week after an Israeli strike targeted the Freedom Flotilla on its way to break the blockade on Gaza, one of its ships remains stranded in international waters near Malta with its crew still onboard.

The vessel, al-Ḍamīr, suffered damage on 2 May during what organisers call a deliberate Israeli attack in international waters. Since then, Malta has refused to allow the ship to dock for repairs, drawing sharp criticism from human rights activists and flotilla organisers.

Speaking to The New Arab's Arabic language edition, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Palestinian-American human rights lawyer Huwaida Arraf, a founding member of the International Solidarity Movement and one of the flotilla's organisers, accused the Maltese government of complicity.

"We have received reports suggesting that Israel pressured Malta to deny us entry," she said. "If true, this demands a full investigation."

The flotilla forms part of ongoing efforts to challenge Israel's siege on Gaza, which tightened drastically on 2 March when Israel shut all crossings and halted aid entry amid its ongoing war on the Strip.

Arraf described Malta's refusal to let the damaged ship dock as both a legal and moral failure.

"They ignored our distress calls after the attack. Cyprus responded first, but couldn’t help. Eventually, a nearby tugboat helped us extinguish the fire," Arraf said.

Turkey has since evacuated six of its nationals from the vessel via its embassy in Malta, but the remaining 12 crew members have chosen to stay onboard. Arraf says leaving the ship would risk its confiscation and jeopardise the mission.

"We didn’t want to abandon the cargo or the cause," she said.

Last week, Malta proposed carrying out repairs at sea, a move Arraf dismissed as "theatrical". She said the repairs cannot be completed safely in open waters. "They should let us dock, plain and simple. Anything else is a smokescreen."

 

 

 

 

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Roughly 70 activists from 21 countries are currently in Malta, training for the mission’s next phase. But the Israeli strike has stalled their plans indefinitely, with the only vessel now unfit for travel.

"It's devastating," Arraf said. "Last year, we had three ships ready. Bureaucratic sabotage stopped us then, and this year, it’s violence."

She accused Mediterranean states of bowing to Israeli and US pressure. "They’re not only refusing to send aid to Gaza. They’re stopping us from doing it too. That’s complicity in a crime."

Arraf called out the international community for inaction.

"It's disgraceful," she said. "Israel is openly starving civilians as a military tactic, which is a war crime under international law. And still, most governments do nothing while some even help."

She also had harsh words for Arab governments: "Their silence is criminal. If they truly wanted to, they could force Israel to end the blockade. But they’ve exposed their weakness to the world."

Despite the setbacks, Arraf vowed that Freedom Flotilla would continue its mission. "We’re not giving up. We will sail to Gaza."

Legal push for accountability

The flotilla’s organisers are also pursuing legal avenues. Arraf confirmed that complaints have been filed with the International Criminal Court (ICC), and that flotilla members are lobbying EU politicians and global human rights groups to exert pressure.

One activist addressed the European Parliament last week, while others have met with officials arriving in Malta to assess the situation.

Lawyer Farouk al-Maghribi, commenting on possible legal actions, said the attack on the flotilla could fall under ICC jurisdiction.

"The court has already ruled it can investigate crimes committed in Palestinian territories, including Gaza," he said, noting that Israeli officials have already faced arrest warrant requests for using starvation as a weapon of war.

He urged flotilla groups to submit all documentation to the ICC and to Palestine’s UN-mandated fact-finding mission. He also encouraged victims to file claims in national courts across Europe and Asia, using principles of universal jurisdiction.

Al-Maghribi said Israel’s strike likely violated international humanitarian law and the Rome Statute, adding: "It breached multiple treaties it is party to, including civil and political rights conventions. This must not go unchallenged."

In the meantime, the flotilla has launched a petition demanding an independent investigation into the Israeli strike and the immediate lifting of the blockade on Gaza.