Italy and Spain send navy ships to assist Gaza aid flotilla

Italy and Spain have deployed naval vessels to support an international aid flotilla heading for Gaza after it came under drone attack, escalating tensions with Israel, which opposes the initiative.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, made up of about 50 civilian boats carrying aid, lawyers, parliamentarians, and activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, is attempting to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.

Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto confirmed on Thursday that one Italian ship had been dispatched and another was on its way to assist Italian nationals on board. He stressed the move was humanitarian, not military.

“It is not an act of war, it is not a provocation: it is an act of humanity,” Crosetto told parliament.

The decision followed reports that flotilla vessels were attacked by drones on Wednesday in international waters off the Greek island of Gavdos. Organizers said stun grenades and chemical irritants were dropped, causing minor damage but no injuries.

Spain has also sent a military ship to aid the flotilla, an unprecedented step for European governments. Previous attempts to breach the Gaza blockade, including the 2010 Mavi Marmara mission in which 10 Turkish activists were killed, were intercepted by Israeli forces.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a strong ally of Israel, said her country’s navy would not engage militarily and criticized the flotilla as “dangerous and irresponsible.” She proposed that aid be transferred through Cyprus under Catholic Church supervision, an idea backed by Israel.

The Israeli foreign ministry repeated that no vessels would be allowed to breach what it called a “lawful naval blockade.”

“Israel will not allow vessels to enter an active combat zone… Is this about aid or about provocation?” the ministry wrote on X.

The flotilla’s organizers have not yet commented on Italy’s alternative proposal.