Spain to Send Naval Vessel to Protect Gaza Aid Flotilla After Drone Attack

📷Participants of the Global Sumud Flotilla wait to set sail towards Gaza, with other boats from Tunisia, as part of an international humanitarian aid initiative to break Israel's naval blockade and deliver vital supplies to Palestinians, at the port of Bizerte, Tunisia September 13, 2025. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi

New York, September 25, 2025 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday that Spain will join Italy in dispatching a military warship to protect an international flotilla seeking to deliver aid to Gaza after it was attacked by drones off the coast of Greece.

Sanchez, speaking at a press conference in New York during the United Nations General Assembly, said citizens of 45 countries were on board the flotilla to deliver food supplies to Gaza and to express solidarity with its population.

“The government of Spain insists that international law be respected and that the right of our citizens should be respected to sail through the Mediterranean in safe conditions,” he said. “Tomorrow we will dispatch a naval vessel from Cartagena with all necessary resources in case it was necessary to assist the flotilla and carry out a rescue operation.”

The Global Sumud Flotilla is comprised of about 50 civilian boats attempting to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. On board are lawyers, activists, and campaigners, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.

The flotilla was attacked by 12 drones in international waters 30 nautical miles (56 km) off the Greek island of Gavdos, according to Marikaiti Stasinou, spokesperson for March to Gaza Greece, a group participating in the flotilla.

Thunberg told Reuters on Monday that drones had flown over the flotilla nightly. “This mission is about Gaza, it isn’t about us. And no risks that we could take could even come close to the risks the Palestinians are facing every day,” she said.

Israel has frequently criticised the flotilla for what it calls implied support for Hamas but did not comment on whether it was responsible for the drones.

The Gaza war began after the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health authorities, with widespread destruction, famine, and mass displacement reported.