As Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg condemned the alleged Israeli attack on a ship carrying aid to Gaza, several social media posts mistakenly claimed she was on the ship and almost died from the drone attack. The truth is, as clarified by Greta in her statement, that she was supposed to board the vessel but was not on it.
In the early hours on Friday, a Gaza-bound activist aid ship caught fire after what its organizers called an Israeli drone attack off the coast of Malta in international waters.
Freedom Flotilla Coalition said the attack rendered a hole in the vessel and it started sinking. Malta government jumped in the rescue action and confirmed that there were no injuries on board. “All crew were confirmed safe but refused to board the tug. Assistance was provided to support interior firefighting efforts,” the Maltese government statement said.
The ship was heading to Malta, where many activists were due to board it before it departed for Gaza. Greta Thunberg and retired US Army Colonel Mary Ann Write were among those who were expected to board but were not onboard during the attack, CNN reported.
“Volunteers from over 21 countries traveled to Malta to board the mission to Gaza, including prominent figures,” FFC said in a statement.
“We didn’t even think that this would happen. It’s the craziest thing in the world. The ship was in an anchor there, waiting for us to come. Who would send drones to bomb a ship that is anchoring off Malta?” Wright said, adding that “this should be a warning to all European countries.”
Thunberg said she was part of the group that was supposed to board the boat and “continue the voyage towards Gaza, which is one of many attempts to open up a humanitarian corridor and to do our part to keep trying to break Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza,” adding that “for two months now, not a single bottle of water has entered Gaza, and it’s a systematic starvation of 2 million people.”
