Italy announced Thursday it will dispatch a second warship to accompany a flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists sailing toward the Gaza Strip.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told parliament that another naval vessel would be sent to "escort the flotilla's boats," according to Reuters.
It remains unclear how far the Italian navy intends to accompany the activists, who claim they were attacked by IDF drones, and whether Rome is prepared for a confrontation should the activists be detained by the Israeli Navy.
The announcement came a day after flotilla participants alleged that drones targeted them overnight Tuesday while they were sailing south of Crete. According to their account, more than 10 drones dropped munitions and incendiary materials on them over the course of three hours. "We saw multiple drones, unidentified objects were falling on us, our radio was jammed and we heard explosions near several boats," the flotilla organizers said.
Polish MP Frank Sterczewski, who is on board one of the ships, wrote on X that "there were 13 attacks on 10 boats, including the one I am on. Three boats were damaged."
German anti-Israel activist Yasmin Aker added in an Instagram video: "We are carrying only humanitarian aid. We have no weapons. We are not a threat to anyone."
