Italy sends ship but not to escort Gaza aid flotilla: Defense minister

The Italian navy has sent one ship, not two, as reported earlier but it would not carry out escort functions for the Global Sumud humanitarian aid flotilla as the vessel will stay in international waters, the defense minister said Thursday.

Guido Crosetto said Italy sent one ship, not two, as was previously reported by media organizations.

His statement comes after the Italian news agency, ANSA, citing the defense minister, reported earlier Thursday that Italy would send a second naval vessel to escort the Global Sumud Flotilla.

There will not be two ships simultaneously deployed in the area as the frigate Alpino will in fact replace the frigate Fasan, which will return to its original mission, he noted.

Crosetto underlined that Italian naval units do not carry out escort functions, and they will leave international waters if the Gaza-bound flotilla attempts to break the Israeli blockade.

"On the contrary, one of the objectives is precisely to prevent such an eventuality and avoid possible negative consequences," he added.

He noted that the Foreign Ministry, in close coordination with the Defense Ministry, has already offered a concrete solution to allow the arrival of humanitarian aid, and has ensured the presence near the area of a military vessel, ready to provide assistance and rescue.

It remains, however, he said, essential that the flotilla not attempt to break the blockade: exposing human lives to risks in waters where it would not be possible to intervene in rescue operations would make no sense and would entail useless dangers.

He said the embassy and the General Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces had been informed beforehand, and constant contacts are in place to monitor every possible issue.

The flotilla, made up of about 50 ships, set sail earlier this month, intending to break Israel’s blockade and deliver humanitarian aid, particularly medical supplies, to the Gaza Strip, where 2.4 million Palestinians have been under siege for 18 years.

Organizers earlier reported 12 blasts hitting nine ships in international waters after drones repeatedly targeted the flotilla. While the group did not attribute responsibility, Israel, which has threatened to block the mission from reaching Gaza, has not commented.

On Wednesday, Spain announced that it will send a naval vessel to support the flotilla.

UN investigators recently concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, where over 65,400 people have been killed since October 2023.