Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said his country would follow Italy's example and also send a warship to protect the international flotilla trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza after it was attacked off the coast of Greece by drones, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
Sanchez told a press conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session that the flotilla's vessels have citizens from 45 countries on board, who want to deliver food to the Palestinian enclave and show their solidarity with its residents.
"The Spanish government insists that international law and the right of our citizens to sail safely through the Mediterranean Sea be respected," he said. "Tomorrow (that is, today) we are sending a military vessel from Cartagena, equipped with everything necessary to support the flotilla and, if necessary, to organize a rescue operation."
The global flotilla "Sumud" is made up of about 50 small civilian vessels, whose goal is to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. They have many lawyers and activists on board, including Swedish environmentalist Greta Thunberg.
The vessels were attacked 30 nautical miles (56 km) from the Greek island of Gavdos, said Marikaiti Stassinou, a spokeswoman for the Greek branch of the global initiative "March to Gaza", which is part of the flotilla. Thunberg told Reuters on Monday that drones fly overhead every night.
"This mission is for Gaza, not for us. "Any risks we would take are nothing compared to those that Palestinians face on a daily basis," she said in a video conference from the deck of her ship. Israel has repeatedly criticized the flotilla operation for serving Hamas's goals, but has not commented on whether it was behind the drone overflights. Israel launched the war in response to the October 7, 2023, attack in which Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
The ensuing fighting in the Palestinian enclave has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and has led to famine, destruction and population displacement. Many of the refugees have had to flee their homes several times.