Timeline and geolocation reveal details of alleged attack on Gaza aid vessel
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition accused Israel of attacking its passenger ship, which was on its way to Malta to pick up volunteers and activists
A small ship bound for Gaza with humanitarian aid issued an SOS near the coast of Malta shortly after midnight on Friday, May 2, after what the group operating it said was a “direct attack” in international waters.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s passenger vessel Conscience was carrying 12 crew members and 4 civilian passengers, and no casualties were reported, according to Maltese authorities. The NGO said “30 humanitarians” were on board when two drone strikes hit the vessel. It accused Israel of carrying out the attack.
The ship was on its way to make a stop in Malta, where it was picking up volunteers from more than 21 countries who were going to travel onwards to Gaza, “including prominent figures”, according to the NGO. Greta Thunberg spoke to reporters in Valletta on Friday, where she confirmed she was due to board the Conscience.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said the nonviolent action was being carried out in secret, “under a media blackout”, to avoid “any potential sabotage”, which may explain why news of the flotilla had not been previously released as they have been for other missions by this organisation.
The NGO said: ”Armed drones attacked the front of an unarmed civilian vessel twice, causing a fire and a substantial breach in the hull. The last communication in the early morning of the 2nd of May, indicated the drones are still circling the ship.”
It added: “The drone strike appears to have deliberately targeted the ship’s generator, leaving the crew without power and placing the vessel at great risk of sinking.”
The Maltese government said in a statement on Friday morning that the “ship remains outside territorial waters” and was being monitored by authorities.
Analysis of live maps showing the location of the vessel confirmed it was located 15.9 nautical miles (just under 30 kilometres) from the Maltese capital Valletta. It was 13.7 nautical miles (25 kilometres) from the nearest coastline of Malta.
Malta’s territorial waters extend 12 nautical miles off its coasts. However, the passenger vessel was in Malta’s contiguous zone, an area that can extend up to 24 nautical miles from the shore, which gives Malta jurisdiction and powers to enforce the law in the areas just outside its territorial waters.
The organisation, which said its communications capabilities were affected by the attack, accused Malta of a lack of response or information about the rescue efforts after their calls for help so near the country. They said the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Rome advised that a tugboat had been sent out. However, the Maltese government released a timeline of its actions after the SOS call was received, confirming the tugboat which had firefighting capabilities offered support and a Maltese military vessel was dispatched.
The NGO also said a vessel from Southern Cyprus was dispatched, but “is not providing the critical electrical support needed”.
Analysis of flight-tracking maps confirmed the Maltese military was on Friday morning flying an AW139 helicopter around the area where the Conscience was allegedly struck. It circled around the area multiple times before returning to land at 08:44.
A tugboat named the EDT Aeolus was the only tug nearby at the time of the fire that matched the description of that mentioned by both the Maltese government and the NGO. An image showing the firefighting efforts released by the Maltese government shows the tugboat dousing the passenger vessel with water.
The image matches prior photographs of the same vessel, with a front-facing sign saying “EDT” visible in both.
This ship-tracking footage shows it responding to the SOS and reaching the Conscience soon after the distress call. There was no sign on tracking websites of any other boats arriving to help overnight, although the image released by Malta confirms a third vessel was on the scene — from where the photographer captured the image. Malta said it dispatched a military patrol vessel at 01:28, and it is often not possible to search for military vessels and vehicles on tracking websites.
Below is a timeline of events tying together the information provided by both the Maltese authorities and the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.
Timeline
00:20 Malta Vessel Traffic Services receive a Mayday call from the Conscience passenger ship, which reported a fire on the bow while outside territorial waters.
00:21 Maltese authorities say a nearby tugboat located approximately 1 nautical mile away offered immediate support.
00:23 Freedom Flotilla Coalition says its ship came under direct attack.
01:28 Maltese authorities confirm the fire as under control. An Armed Forces of Malta patrol vessel is dispatched to provide further assistance.
02:13 Maltese authorities say all crew are confirmed safe but refused to board the tug. Assistance provided to support interior firefighting efforts.
03:45 Maltese authorities say the vessel and its crew are secure.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said Israeli ambassadors must be summoned and answer questions about violations of international law, including the ongoing blockade of Gaza and what it called the “bombing of our civilian vessel in international waters”.
In a later press release, the organisation released an image showing the damage on the Conscience after the incident.
The UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, said on social media: “I received a distressed call from the people of the Freedom Flotilla that is carrying essential food and medicine to the starving Gaza population. I call on concerned state authorities, including maritime authorities, to support the ship and its crew as needed. I trust the competent authorities will also ascertain the facts and intervene appropriately.”
Maritime rescue charity Sea-Watch released footage on Friday showing the ship as it “remained adrift” with visible damage.
Israeli military plane flew over Malta the day before
Another flight-tracking website, ADS-B Exchange, captured an Israeli Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft flying over Malta on Thursday.
The plane travelled from Israel to Malta where it flew over land, including over Valletta, at low altitudes of about 3,000 to 5,000 feet, according to the flight path information.
There was no evidence that the incident was connected to the alleged attack on the flotilla.
However, the flight of an Israeli military aircraft over EU territory did spark some concern, with an unnamed Maltese military source quoted in the Times of Malta saying it “is very serious”.
At the time of writing, the Israeli government and military had not released any response to the accusation that it bombed an aid ship, nor any information about the military flight over Malta.
In 2010, another aid flotilla on a similar mission to deliver supplies to Gaza was attacked by Israeli troops. Nine activists were killed.
Aid workers and activists say they are attempting to open up a maritime route for the delivery of aid due to the ongoing Israeli blockade.
Israel has blocked the arrival of goods into Gaza for the last two months, deepening the hunger and health crisis in the enclave, where most of the population has been internally displaced for over a year-and-a-half.
Israeli attacks on aid workers also ramped up since its war in the Gaza Strip began in October 2023. In March, 15 Red Crescent emergency workers were killed in southern Gaza. A year earlier, seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen were killed when the convoy they were travelling in was targeted. A tally by UNRWA in April put the total aid worker deaths in the Gaza war at 408.
SOURCES
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Jonatan Michaneck (2025). Condemnations and call for investigation from experts following the attack on the Freedom Flotilla - Freedom Flotilla. [online] Freedom Flotilla. [Accessed 2 May 2025].
Marinetraffic.com. (2025). MarineTraffic: Global Ship Tracking Intelligence | AIS Marine Traffic. [online] [Accessed 2 May 2025].
Francesca Albanese | X (formerly Twitter). (2025). ‘Emergency: I received a distressed call from the people of the Freedom Flotilla that is carrying essential food…’ [Accessed 2 May 2025].
doi.gov.mt (2025). PRESS RELEASE BY THE GOVERNMENT OF MALTA [online] [Accessed 2 May 2025].
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Freedom Flotilla Coalition | X (formerly Twitter). (2025). ‘The Maltese government @MaltaGov has not yet responded to the #SOS signal from this civilian humanitarian vessel.’ [Accessed 2 May 2025].
Magramo, K., Salman, A., Symons, T. and Goillandeau, M. (2025). Aid ship bound for Gaza catches fire after alleged drone attack off Malta. [online] CNN. [Accessed 2 May 2025].
Scicluna, C. and Ilze Filks (2025). Activist aid ship hit by drones on way to Gaza, NGO says. [online] Reuters. [Accessed 2 May 2025].
Flightradar24 (2025). Live Flight Tracker - Real-Time Flight Tracker Map | Flightradar24. [online] [Accessed 2 May 2025].
Carabott, S. (2025). Israel military plane hovered over Malta, hours before flotilla ‘drone attack’. [online] Times of Malta. [Accessed 2 May 2025].
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