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Officials in Tunisia said there was no evidence of an attack on the ship, which the Global Sumud Flotilla hoped to use to bring humanitarian goods to Gaza.
Sept. 9, 2025Updated 3:43 a.m. ET
An international group on a mission to deliver humanitarian aid by sea to Palestinians in Gaza said late Monday that one of its boats, docked in Tunisia, had been struck by what it believed was a drone, resulting in a fire.
No one on the vessel was injured, the group, the Global Sumud Flotilla, said in a statement. It said the boat was docked at the Tunisian port of Sidi Bou Said, part of a flotilla that was on its way to Gaza, when the incident occurred.
The Tunisian National Guard, in a statement posted on Facebook, said there was no evidence that a ship in the port had been attacked, dismissing social media reports to the contrary as “baseless.” Based on initial investigations, it said, the fire on the boat appeared to have started in a life jacket, caused by a cigarette butt or a lighter.
Video
In video shared by the aid group, apparently taken on a ship, a man on deck looks up toward the sky, reacts with shock and alarm and backs quickly away. There is a flash of light and the sound of an explosion, followed by cries for help, and smoke emerges from the direction of the ship’s bow.
A Tunisian official told Mosaique FM, a local news outlet, that investigations into the incident would continue. Attempts to contact the National Guard were not immediately successful.
