Thunberg Removed as Flotilla Faces Drone Attack

The Global Sumud Flotilla has been roiled by internal tensions over representation and strategy, including a Maghreb coordinator’s threat to withdraw amid controversy over LGBTQ+ participants and accusations from Tunisian activist Saif Ayadi that a “Zionist lobby” is exploiting queer identities to divide the mission. Greta Thunberg was removed from the flotilla's leadership list but remains an organizer and participant and was reported transferring between vessels in Tunis. After a reported drone attack off Greece, Italy dispatched a frigate and Spain’s prime minister said Spain would send a warship to help protect the mission; about 45 countries’ citizens are aboard. Organizers say aid is being routed via Latin Patriarchate parishes in Cyprus, transferred to Ashdod and then moved through a corridor arranged by the Misericordie to Gaza under mediation by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. An Associated Press correction clarified the timing of Spain’s announcement. The combination of infighting, a security incident, and a negotiated delivery route underscores the political sensitivities and logistical challenges facing the effort to reach Gaza.