UN urges independent probe into Gaza aid ship attack, calls for lifting of aid blockade

• 'It is crucial that there be independent, impartial, and effective investigation by competent authorities into the incident leading to apparent fire on board the vessel and a distress call in international waters, with a view to ensuring accountability,' human rights spokesperson tells Anadolu

GENEVA

The UN human rights office on Saturday called for an independent investigation into the drone attack on a Gaza-bound aid ship in international waters off Malta and renewed its call for Israel to lift its blockade on Gaza, which it says constitutes "collective punishment."

"We have seen the worrying reports on the incident. We are unable to independently confirm them. However, it is crucial that there be independent, impartial, and effective investigation by competent authorities into the incident leading to apparent fire on board the vessel and a distress call in international waters, with a view to ensuring accountability," human rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told Anadolu in a statement.

The vessel Conscience, organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, caught fire after reportedly being bombed by drones early Friday while carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. The Maltese government confirmed the fire was contained with the help of a nearby tugboat and that all 12 crew members and four civilians aboard were safe, although they refused to abandon the ship.

The vessel remains in international waters under monitoring.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition blamed Israel for the attack, calling for Israeli ambassadors to be summoned over what it described as violations of international law, including the blockade and the bombing of the civilian ship.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for Palestine, also condemned the attack and urged EU leaders to denounce it and demand an urgent investigation.

The Palestinian group Hamas similarly accused Israel and appealed to the UN Security Council to act against Israeli "violations."

Al-Kheetan also pointed to the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying restrictions on movement and the flow of goods have severely affected the population for more than 17 years. "It amounts to the collective punishment of Gaza residents," he said.

He added that conditions have worsened recently, with Israel blocking all goods from entering Gaza since March 2, which has only intensified the already dire situation. "Collective punishment is prohibited by international humanitarian law and amounts to a war crime," he stressed.

"As the occupying power, Israel has the obligation -- under international humanitarian law -- to ensure food and medical supplies for the population to the fullest extent of the means available to it, or to agree to and facilitate by all means at its disposal humanitarian relief schemes by other States or impartial humanitarian organizations," the spokesperson added.

"We call on Israel to urgently lift the blockade on Gaza and allow the entry of life-saving material," he concluded.

Nearly 52,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.