Italy and Spain have pledged to deploy warships to protect the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), a civilian fleet of some 50 ships headed for Gaza after it came under a new drone attack.
The Global Sumud Flotilla is a set of peaceful civilian vessels bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza. They are under attack. Americans are on board, including from Massachusetts. Italy and Spain are sending warships to protect them. The United States must do more to keep them safe. pic.twitter.com/CeUJcxmTU3
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) September 25, 2025
The ships carrying humanitarian supplies set sail from Barcelona early in September to try to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.
BREAKING:
Italy sends a second navy ship to protect the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. pic.twitter.com/gpGMtlVRbD
— Globe Eye News (@GlobeEyeNews) September 26, 2025
The fleet, with 500 activists and politicians onboard, came under a drone attack late on Tuesday off the coast of Greece. Activists said the vessels were targeted by drones that dropped explosive devices and caused more than a dozen explosions around the ships. They blamed Israel for the attack.
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Following the incident, Rome and Madrid said they would dispatch navy ships to protect the flotilla and ensure the safety of their citizens aboard. Italian PM Giorgia Meloni condemned the drone attacks while calling the GSF flotilla a “dangerous, irresponsible” means to deliver aid.
BREAKING –
Italy and Spain have sent warships to protect Gaza aid flotilla from Israeli drone attacks
Europe has now become fully pro-Palestine pic.twitter.com/hN3k3q8esP
— Global UPDATES (@GlobalUpdates24) September 25, 2025
“It is not an act of war, it is not a provocation: it is an act of humanity, which is a duty of a state towards its citizens,” Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told the country’s parliament.
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A similar rationale for the warship’s deployment was given by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who said the vessel was needed “to ensure that, if necessary, our citizens can be rescued.”
“I want to make it clear to the government of Israel that Spain will, of course, protect its nationals, and we will do so both diplomatically and politically,” he stressed.
Israel has pledged to stop the flotilla from entering the Palestinian enclave, arguing that it was an “active combat zone” put under “lawful naval blockade.” West Jerusalem halted two previous attempts to break the blockade taken by the activists in June and July.
Rome had proposed a compromise whereby the aid could be unloaded in Cyprus, an idea Meloni said had garnered the backing of Israel. The Italian delegation within the GSF, however, rejected such a plan on behalf of the flotilla, stating its “mission stays true to its original goal.”
By GVS Intl Desk