Activists from the Gaza Freedom Flotilla say they are still completely in the dark about their fate, four days after the government pledged to repair their stricken aid ship out at sea.
It is now over a week since the Conscience was allegedly attacked by Israeli drones while waiting just outside Maltese territorial waters for activists, including Greta Thunberg, to board the boat and head to Gaza.
The boat had been denied entry to Malta after it was de-flagged just a day before the incident.
After surveyors inspected the Conscience on Tuesday, following negotiations between the group and the government, the latter pledged to carry out “minor” repairs to the boat at its own expense while it was out at sea.
However, GFF press officer Yasemin Acar said that not only had repairs not started but the group had heard nothing from the government since.
“The boat has not moved since Tuesday. We are asking the government to come up with a plan but there has been no contact for the past few days. We feel like we’re being ignored and undermined through a propaganda campaign and that the Maltese government is collaborating with Israel to silence us,” Acar said.
The activists also criticised the government for failing to release the surveyors’ report in full. A statement released by the government on Tuesday stated that, among other things, the boat only sustained minor damage, that all its essential equipment was still functional and that the boat was only carrying a “limited” amount of humanitarian aid.
'Images, video speak for themselves'
“If we had something to hide, we would not be demanding the publication of the report. As for the amount of damage, the images and videos speak for themselves,” she said, insisting that the group had evidence of the attack that they wanted to hand over to forensic experts.
The government statement did not mention the cause of the fire aboard the vessel.
Regarding the amount of aid on the boat, Acar said the original plan was for the boat to pick up most of the aid in Malta, together with additional activists.
“We had pallets of supplies ready to go that had to be cancelled,” she said, adding that the aid already on board the boat consisted of food, water and medical supplies.
She said the original plan was to head straight for Gaza after leaving Malta.
“If we stop at more countries, we risk being prevented from completing our goal. Over the years, our objective of opening an aid corridor to Gaza has never changed but our mission has constantly been criminalised,” she said.
Six activists who were on the boat were brought to shore under police escort on Wednesday evening before being bundled onto a flight to Turkey. They were initially not allowed to meet other activists.
Acar said the remaining 12 people on board, all crew members, were healthy but tired and frustrated from being out at sea for so long without knowing what was going to happen.
Responding to questions regarding the activists’ claims, a government spokesperson simply said that there were no further updates since the last press release issued on Tuesday.