A ship carrying 16 people and humanitarian aid in Gaza was shaken by explosions early Friday off the coast of Malta Friday, setting fire to the ship and endangering it, according to the human rights group operating the ship.
The ship and its crew were safe after a tug ship helped extinguish the fire after a Mayday call, the government of Malta said in a statement. He did not say what had caused the fire, adding that the authorities were monitoring the ship, which was in the international waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
The ship, called consciousness and exploited by a group called Freedom Flotilla Coalition, had left Tunisia earlier this week with human rights activists and aid. The group challenged the blockade of Israel of Gaza by offering humanitarian aid.
Before going to Gaza, the ship had to stop in Malta and collect about 40 more people, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, said Yasemin Acar, group spokesperson.
The source of the explosion was not determined and it was not known if the ship had been deliberately targeted.
The Israeli army has blocked the past attempts of pro-Palestinian activists to help Gaza by sea, including by force. In 2010, nine passengers aboard Mavi Marmara, a flotilla carrying aid from Turkey to Gaza, were killed in an Israeli commando raid, arousing international indignation and deterioration in Turkish-Israeli relations.
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