An Irish activist who is part of the Gaza aid flotilla has said drones targeting their boats are an attempt to harass and intimidate them from trying to break Israel's blockade of the besieged Palestinian territory.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, activist Sarah Clancy from Galway said nine or ten boats in the flotilla were hit by projectiles that emitted smoke dropped from the drones.
The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) departed Barcelona on 31 August, with the aim of breaking Israel's blockade of Gaza. It currently numbers 51 vessels, most of which are off the Greek island of Crete.
It had already been targeted in two suspected drone attacks in Tunisia, where its boat had been anchored before resuming its voyage towards Gaza.
Ms Clancy said it was "at the very least, an attempt to harass and intimidate us out of continuing with our work".
"The first thing that happened was that the VHF radios were jammed and they started playing ABBA music instead of the usual notifications"
She added: "We're in international waters, we're civil society movement, we're a boat full of aid.
"Ordinary people like me in international waters, there's absolutely no justification whatsoever for any government, for any actor, to attack our boats. It's an act of piracy," Ms Clancy said.
Drones have been surveilling the flotilla for the last few nights, she said, but they appeared in greater numbers before the incident in the early hours of this morning.
"The first thing that happened was that the VHF radios were jammed and they started playing ABBA music instead of the usual notifications.
"There was an immediate sulphur smell of bad eggs, really, really strongly"
"Then very shortly after that, people spotted drones all around in the sky. A large number of drones," Ms Clancy said.
She added: "They were closer to us than they had been the nights before. Then a few of the boats started reporting that they had been hit by things from drones."
Ms Clancy said that boat she is on, the Spectator, was hit four times by three different drones by objects that emitted smoke that smelled like sulphur.
"The items that fell from the drones, two of them hit the roof and one of them fell off into the sea.
"The gas is very dangerous"
"There was an immediate sulphur smell of bad eggs, really, really strongly across the place which would indicate to us that some type of gas was being used.
"And after those happened, then things started to quiet down and while we remained on high alert, after those three items hit the boat, there was no further damage to us," she said.
Ms Clancy added: "The gas is very dangerous. I was sitting quite near one because I was driving the boat and I have a splitting headache ever since.
"I'm well and we've a doctor on board and everything, but we're not quite sure what they intended.
"The only thing is they did seem to target the sailboats, and it may have been that these little acidic packages were designed to damage the sails of boats because that's what happened in a couple of the cases where they seem to have hit the masts of boats and damaged the main sails."
'Extremely concerned'
Tánaiste Simon Harris said that he is "extremely concerned" by developments involving the flotilla, adding that he welfare and safety of people aboard has to be a priority of the international community.
"My officials are in direct contact with a designated Government point of contact for the Global Movement To Gaza delegation of the GSF," Mr Harris said in a statement.
"Our clear priority is to ensure the welfare of our citizens.
What has happened is clearly not acceptable. It is clear what international law allows and does not allow, and it is clearly a breach of international law to have any activity that is targeting civilians or a humanitarian flotilla."
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said she is "very concerned" for the safety of those travelling on the Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
Speaking to RTÉ News, Ms McDonald said: "There are more than 20 civilians, Irish citizens on the flotilla, including our colleague Chris Andrews."
"There is no doubt that the Israeli targeting of the flotilla defies international law," she said. "They are acts of intimidation and menace."
Ms McDonald added it is "absolutely essential that the Irish Government and others confront Netanyahu and confront Israel".
"They believe they can act any way they wish because that has been allowed," she said.
"The security of people on the flotilla needs to be guaranteed."
She said she has been speaking to Mr Andrews and "his concern is for the wider safety of the flotilla and for people in Gaza who are suffering unspeakable horror".
Speaking at a protest outside Leinster House, Ms McDonald said governments needs to show "the red card" to Israel. She said sanctions on the country are "needed now".
Mr Andrews, who is on board the ship 'The Sceptre', said it was struck four times by drones.
He said there were no injuries or serious damage inflicted, and that those on board remain undeterred.
Mr Andrews called for the Government to "arrange for an observer vessel to accompany the flotilla to ensure that Israel does not violate the human rights of its participants".
"This is the most serious assault by Israel on this flotilla since it first departed from Barcelona over three weeks ago.
Read more: Italy sends navy assistance after Gaza flotilla attack
"The Irish Government has a responsibility to protect its citizens on this flotilla, as well as to stand up for human rights and justice," he said.
Boylan to write to EU commission
Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan said she will write to the EU Commission to demand they call for safe passage of the flotilla.
"The EU must not stand idly by while innocent civilians are put in danger by doing what the EU hasn't had the courage to do," the Dublin MEP said.
"I would also urge everyone to contact the Department of Foreign Affairs and urge them to intervene to protect the many Irish citizens, as well as all other civilians travelling as part of this peaceful flotilla," she added.
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy wrote on X: "The #GlobalSumudFlotilla is under attack from Israel in international waters right now. Multiple boats reporting attacks by drones. Contact the government. Demand they send an observer to the flotilla."
Israel, which blocked two previous attempts by activists to reach Gaza by sea in June and July, said Monday it would not allow the flotilla to reach the embattled Palestinian territory.
Israel has come under huge international pressure over the war in Gaza, which has sparked a dire humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory.
Last month, a body backed by the United Nations officially declared famine in part of Gaza.
While on 16 September, UN investigators accused Israel of committing "genocide" in the besieged territory, nearly two years after the war erupted following Hamas's 7 October 2023, attack on Israel.
Israel's ambassador to the UN in Geneva called that UN report "scandalous" and "fake", saying it had been authored by "Hamas proxies" and rejected it as a "libellous rant".
