A vessel set to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza has been struck by drones in international waters near Malta, according to the group behind the mission.
A fire broke out following the attack but was later brought under control, authorities confirmed.
The ship, named Conscience, was carrying 12 crew members and four civilians when the incident occurred approximately 26 kilometres off the Maltese coast.
Malta's government said a nearby tugboat responded to the distress call, but those on board chose not to abandon the ship. No injuries were reported and all on board were confirmed safe.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organised the shipment, accused Israel of carrying out the attack.
While it offered no direct evidence linking Israel to the incident, it released a video where an explosion can be heard and another showing flames engulfing part of the vessel.
The Israeli military has not responded to requests for comment.
The attack comes amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has been under a full blockade since March, with Israel halting all imports, including food and medicine.
Israel says the blockade is intended to pressure Hamas to release the hostages it is still holding since its 7 October 2023 incursion into southern Israel.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said the strike on the Conscience appeared to target its generator, creating a significant breach in the hull and knocking out the ship's power, leaving it at risk of sinking.
Charlie Andreasson, a long-time member of the group, told the Associated Press that he had spoken with those on board, who reported hearing two explosions before the fire broke out. Photos released by Cypriot authorities showed visible damage to the vessel's side.
Marine Traffic, a ship-tracking platform, showed the Conscience had departed the Tunisian port of Bizerte on Tuesday and entered the area where the attack occurred by Thursday morning. Organisers stated the ship was hit shortly after midnight on Friday.
The incident echoes the deadly 2010 raid on the Turkish vessel Mavi Marmara, part of an earlier Gaza-bound aid flotilla, in which Israeli forces killed nine activists after storming the ship.
Humanitarian crisis
Meanwhile, aid agencies have sounded the alarm over the rapidly deteriorating situation in Gaza. The International Committee of the Red Cross warned on Friday that its humanitarian operations could collapse without the immediate resumption of aid deliveries.
Programmes at risk include communal kitchens providing the only meal of the day for many residents.
"Aid must be allowed to enter Gaza. Hostages must be released. Civilians must be protected," the ICRC said.
"Without immediate action, Gaza will descend further into chaos that humanitarian efforts will not be able to mitigate," the group added.
The war began when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people, most of them civilians.
Hamas took 251 people as hostages, and is currently holding 59, of whom 24 are believed to be alive.
A subsequent Israeli offensive has to date killed 52,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry whose figures do not distinguish between fighters and civilians.
The Israeli military says 850 of its soldiers have died since the start of the war.
