The International Federation for Rights and Development (IFRD) strongly condemns the violent and unlawful attack on the Freedom Flotilla, a humanitarian mission carrying aid to Gaza. The flotilla was intercepted and assaulted in international waters, resulting in multiple injuries and disappearances. Among the most troubling elements is the absence of immediate accountability and the mounting evidence suggesting complicity or negligence by Maltese authorities, who failed to ensure protection and transparency for a vessel sailing under their flag.
The IFRD calls on the European Union to urgently launch an independent and robust inquiry into Malta’s role in this operation—whether by omission or cooperation—and its broader implications for the EU’s legal and moral obligations under international maritime and human rights law.
In parallel, we urge EU institutions to establish a fact-finding mechanism—a thorough process aimed not only at gathering and preserving evidence, but at clarifying the identity and mandate of the assailants involved in this unprovoked attack.
The EU cannot remain silent while its member states appear either powerless or passive in the face of direct assaults on civilian missions in international waters. The targeting of peaceful humanitarian actors is an assault on the principles of international law and solidarity.
The IFRD reiterates its support for the brave individuals aboard the flotilla and demands immediate clarity on the whereabouts and well-being of all crew and passengers. Silence and delay only empower impunity.
We stand in solidarity with all those seeking to break the illegal siege on Gaza through peaceful means, and we call on EU leaders to match their rhetoric with resolute action.
