Malta has offered to pay for the repairs of the Gaza-bound boat and help it reach its destination, but it continues to refuse to let the vessel in Maltese territorial waters and ports.
The government will not let them in unless it is allowed to inspect the ship and ensure it is truly carrying humanitarian aid and that its damage is compatible with the damage sustained by an attack, Prime Minister Robert Abela told reporters Sunday.
“We are offering to pay for the repairs after we confirm the ship is, indeed, carrying humanitarian aid,” he said.
“That’s another fact that must be established, as the crew is yet to provide a list of what is on board the vessel. The moment we confirm it’s humanitarian aid for Gaza, we will take care of the repairs.”
He said the government is in contact with Israel “on a ministerial level” but would not divulge what is being said in those communications, insisting that so far, the drone attack “is just an allegation”.
When Times of Malta pushed him to say whether the government is investigating Israel’s potential involvement and whether it has asked Israel if it was responsible, he would not comment.
Flotilla still stranded
The Gaza-bound flotilla remains stranded in international waters just outside Malta, almost three days after sustaining damage following a “drone attack”, with the Maltese coast guard flatly refusing it permission to enter territorial waters.
The boat was located 14 nautical miles off the coast of Malta when the incident happened in the early hours of Friday morning just outside territorial waters. Nobody was injured in the incident, which many have pinned on Israel.
The vessel had sustained damage to the front after activists claimed they had been targeted "twice" resulting in a fire and a breach of the hull.
But on Sunday, Abela would not condemn the event and insisted the government wanted to establish the facts first.
“I already condemned all acts of war and retaliation since the conflict started, and if it is established that the allegation is true, I will have no problem condemning any form of attack."
He said Malta acted immediately upon receiving reports of a fire on board, and sent crew to put out the fire and ensure everyone on board was safe and in good health.
“We also offered to take all crew and passengers in [without the vessel] but the offer was refused. That offer remains open,” he said, adding that two AFM vessels continue to patrol the area for security.
The captain also refused to let two police negotiators on board, and is refusing to allow a Transport Malta maritime surveyor on the vessel to establish the facts, he said.
“We need a surveyor to establish what the nature of the damage is, whether it can be repaired out at sea, and whether it resulted from an attack. We also need to establish whether the vessel is disabled, and therefore unable to continue its journey. But the captain is refusing to let the surveyor on board,” Abela said.
“We did everything we could in the circumstances, despite the fact that the vessel has no flag and no insurance, and the Palestinian ambassador is being informed every step of the way and he agrees with us that this should be the way forward.”
Abela is also not prepared to inspect the vessel within Maltese territorial waters, saying it will only be allowed in if the state is in control of the situation, “especially since it doesn’t have a flag and insurance”.
"We all agree that the aim should be that the vessel continues on its journey to Gaza as soon as possible – and not to remain in a Maltese port or Maltese waters indefinitely – but to sail towards its destination, so that if there truly is humanitarian aid on it, it gets to the people who need it as quickly as possible,” he said.
“Our efforts are aimed in that direction. I informed the Palestinian ambassador and we’re agreeing that’s the way forward."
Responding to the leader of the Opposition’s request for an urgent meeting on the matter, Abela said he would be meeting Bernard Grech, insisting this was not a partisan issue.
"It’s important to remember that following the October 7 conflict escalation in the Middle East our stance was clear, unlike the stance of some EU leaders," he said.
"We said we were against all forms of attacks, against war and in favour of peace and we said we would recognise Palestine as a state when the time is right, and that the two-state solution is the best solution, and we sent humanitarian aid to Gaza several times, as well as hosted children for medical procedures."