It is not the first time that the maritime missions directed to Gaza turn into political shows. Already since 2010, with the tragic case of Mavi Marmara, these initiatives have shown a more media than humanitarian goal
There Global Sumud Flotillaan international initiative that intends to challenge the Israeli naval block on the Gaza Strip, denounced an alleged attack with drones against his flagship ship Familythe Portuguese flag, while it was anchored in the Tunisian waters. The episode occurred on the night between Monday and Tuesday and, according to the organizers, a boundless bomb would have hit the main bridge, triggering a fire. The images spread by the group actually show an object in flames fall on the bridge, among the excited screams of the six crew members. Miguel DuartePortuguese activist on board, he said he had “clearly seen a drone four meters above the head” and that he was “one hundred percent certain” that it was a bomb released by a telegoned aircraft.
Tunisian denials
Too bad that reality tells more. There Tunisian National Guard He dismantled the spectacular version of the activists: “According to the first investigations, the fire started from the stocks of rescue jackets on board,” said the spokesperson Houcem eddine jebabliadding that “no trace of drones was detected”. In short, no air attack, but a trivial fire, probably accidental. A short circuit or a spark in the filing of flammable materials would explain much more than the thesis of the drone does, but the charm of propaganda is irresistible. Why admit that you have had a stake of jackets when you can evoke a targeted bombing?
A long history of staging
It is not the first time that the maritime missions directed to Gaza turn into political shows. Already since 2010, with the tragic case of the Mavi Marmarathese initiatives have shown a more media than humanitarian objective. More recently, in June 2025, a ship with on board Greta Thunberg It was intercepted by the Israeli Navy and towed to the ground; In July another boat, the Handalawas stopped with 21 activists from ten countries on board. In both cases the load was minimal, symbolic, but the media clamor was enormous. The script is tested: the flotilla does not really bring significant help, but generates images and narratives that transform a small crew into “civil resistance” against Israel. The “ghost drone” version fits perfectly into this logic: more than the facts, the suggestion counts.
The Italian political wave
And as always happens, the conditioned reflection of the Italian opposition has not been long in coming. In Rome, while the Tunisian firefighters archived the practice as “accidental fire”, under Montecitorio the names of the journalists killed in Gaza were read, the students organized assemblies in the universities and in the evening a procession was already ready with the flotilla. Elly Schleinsecretary of Democratic Partytweeted: “Solidarity at the Global Sumud Flotilla: the European Union and the Governments Drivate the humanitarian mission ». Giuseppe Contemore inspired than usual, spoke of “paradox: citizens engaged for a humanitarian project treated as terrorists, while the criminal government of Netanyahu It is considered an ally with all the honors ». In essence, the drone was not there, but for the Italian opposition it is the perfect opportunity to organize torches, parades and indignant declarations. It matters little if they were burn jackets and not a military attack: the important thing is to shout to the democratic emergency, ask for embargo on arms and accuse melons of “being on the wrong side of history”. It is the paradox of the political theater: the more inconsistent the episode, the more it becomes a topic from talk show.
Albanian in Sherlock Holmes version
And to make matters worse, he thought about the picture Francesca Albanesespecial rapporteur UN For the Palestinian territories, which rushed to the port to “understand the facts”. With investigative zeal worthy of a yellow novel, he started to collect testimonies, ignoring that the Tunisian authorities had already been clear: no drone, only an accidental fire. The result is an almost surreal script: a technical accident transformed into an act of war, a procession in Rome that affects a “ghost drone”, and an UN that sends its own special correspondent to investigate not on missiles or arsenals, but on burned rescue jackets. Ultimately, the real fire is not the one who blackened the blanket of the Family, But that of propaganda. The episode proves once again how flops for Gaza have more value as a media stage than as a humanitarian mission. And it shows how in Italy the opposition is always ready to transform a trivial accident in political tragedy to be exploited against the government. In the end, the only drone that has really been seen is that of imagination. But among activists who speak of non -existent bombs, oppositions that wave words such as “genocide” and an UN rapporteur who exchanges in flames for remote controlled devices, the doubt remains: are we in front of a maritime accident or a theatrical piece? And if it really is theater, someone should remember Francesca Albanese That Sherlock Holmes was a fantasy character. Just like the drone of Sidi Bou Said.
