The Flotilla's current status, following a drone attack overnight. Crosetto sends an Italian frigate to the rescue.

On the night of September 23-24, 2025, the Flotilla was attacked in international waters south of Crete with drones, sound bombs, pepper spray, and explosive devices, causing damage to approximately 15 vessels but no injuries to any crew. Tensions remain high, and international appeals are underway for the protection of civilians and the peaceful humanitarian mission.

"To ensure assistance to the Italian citizens present on the Flotilla last night, I authorized the immediate intervention of the Italian Navy's multi-purpose frigate Fasan, which was sailing north of Crete as part of Operation Mare Sicuro . The frigate is already heading to the area for possible rescue operations," Defense Minister Guido Crosetto announced. The minister, who evaluated the decision in consultation with the Prime Minister, specified that " the Israeli military attaché in Italy, our ambassador and the military attaché in Tel Aviv, and the Farnesina crisis unit have been informed ."

This morning, the opposition parties in the Chamber of Deputies—PD, M5S, and AVS—called for an urgent convocation of a group leaders' meeting at the beginning of the session to discuss last night's events. The Five Star Movement (M5S) protested vigorously, first with Ascari and then with Ricciardi, announcing they would block parliamentary proceedings "by any means necessary" both in the Chamber and in committees .

"To call on the government to guarantee the protection of the humanitarian mission and the citizens participating in it, and to deploy all political initiatives to stop Netanyahu and the massacre in Gaza," is the reason why a delegation from the Democratic Party ( PD), composed of MPs Chiara Braga, Peppe Provenzano, Valentina Ghio, Marco Sarracino, Marco Furfaro, Laura Boldrini, Debora Serracchiani, Maria Cecilia Guerra, Silvia Roggiani, Nico Stumpo, Toni Ricciardi, Federico Fornaro, Sara Ferrari, Gianni Girelli, Rachele Scarpa, Cristian Di Sanzo, and Senators Cristina Tajani, Francesco Verducci, and Igor Taruffi of the national secretariat, participated today in the mobilization in support of the Global Sumud Flotilla. The Democrats reiterate "the requests made today to the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate for the government to guarantee the safety of our fellow citizens and the entire crew of the Flotilla and to formally protest to the Israeli government for last night's attacks."

Tomorrow, at 8:30 am, the Minister of Defense will give a briefing , as emerged from the group leaders in Montecitorio.

Some opposition MPs, however, occupied the chamber and the government benches in protest, with the Five Star Movement reiterating that it would continue until the government reports. While the Five Star Movement senators were not present in the Chamber to protest, the protest was announced this morning in the Senate chamber by Vice President Alessandra Maiorino, speaking during the debate on the jurisdictional dispute to be raised in the Santanchè affair.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani is working to mediate with the Israeli government to allow the humanitarian supplies transported by the Flotilla to enter Gaza, sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported. "The minister is in contact with the Israeli government and has identified a credible mediation mechanism. The Italian government is examining all options to avoid further offensive actions against the Flotilla's vessels," the same sources added.

Civil society humanitarian initiatives for Gaza are being channeled this summer into the Global Sumud Flotilla project, a concrete and symbolic action aimed at breaking the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip to bring food and medical aid to the Palestinian population afflicted by disease and famine due to the bombing and blockade .

The flotilla, composed of over 50 vessels from 44 countries , departed at the end of August from Mediterranean ports such as Barcelona, ​​Genoa, Tunis, Catania, and Syros (Greece), with an expected arrival in Gaza in mid-September . During the voyage, it encountered adverse weather conditions that caused delays and temporary stopovers.

The Global Sumud Flotilla recalls the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident, when Israeli action resulted in the deaths of nine activists and injuries . International investigations concluded that Israel violated international law and that the naval blockade disproportionately harms civilians. Today's flotilla seeks to push for changes to these policies, even though it cannot end the occupation or ensure Palestinian self-determination, according to international law.

International law protects two fundamental principles relevant to the Global Sumud Flotilla : freedom of navigation on the high seas and the protection of civilians in armed conflict , such as underway in Gaza.

The 1982 Montego Bay Convention enshrines freedom of navigation with exclusive jurisdiction to the flag state of the vessel, making Israeli accusations of terrorism unfounded .

An Israeli intervention in international waters would violate international law . Israel, as the occupying power, has specific responsibilities under the Fourth Geneva Convention , which prohibits collective punishment and the use of starvation as a weapon of war, thus prohibiting a naval blockade that disproportionately harms the civilian population and hinders humanitarian aid. While rejecting such application, Israel is obligated to respect these norms by the international legal community and the International Court of Justice . The Global Sumud Flotilla represents peaceful pressure to enforce these principles and ensure the delivery of aid to Gaza.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, specifically the Crisis Unit and the Minister's Office, were the target of an email bombing launched by a social center following the attack on the Gaza Flotilla boats," a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated. "The attack, which consisted of sending thousands of fake emails , also had the effect of hindering the work of the Crisis Unit, which is currently in contact with Italian citizens aboard the Flotilla vessels sailing toward Gaza . The Flotilla was subjected to offensive and intimidating actions. The judicial authorities were informed by the provincial Carabinieri command of the email bombing against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," the statement concludes.

The emails are being labeled "fake," without a specific explanation. However, according to our findings, from message chains spread across thousands of chats throughout Italy over the past 24 hours, the text message sent to the Foreign Ministry's certified email address was replicated by an equal number of citizens, who sent genuine emails as a form of mass digital protest. The subject line of the thousands of emails sent to the Farnesina appears to be: "Urgent – ​​Request for support for the Global Sumud Flotilla under attack."