The FFC said in a statement on Friday that the vessel, now located 14 nautical miles (25km) from Malta, was the target of two drone strikes while on the preparatory stages before sailing to Gaza. The ship had been seeking to deliver aid to the besieged enclave, where aid groups warn people are struggling to survive following a two-month total blockade by Israel.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5719946&forum_id=2#48900772)

The group statement said “a vessel from Southern Cyprus” had been dispatched after it sent SOS calls.

The FFC, formed by peace activists from several countries last year, uses a converted trawler to try to defy Israel’s blockade on Gaza.

Israel halted humanitarian aid two months ago, shortly before it broke a ceasefire and restarted its war against Hamas, which has devastated the Palestinian enclave and killed more than 50,000 people.

“It’s very important to … understand this attack is an extension of the genocide that is happening in Gaza and cannot pass unpunished,” Jenes said, insisting that the FFC is asking the world to turn its eyes to the blockade.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5719946&forum_id=2#48900773)