Toni Albir / EPA
The chief of staff of the Armada, Gouveia and Melo, argued that the Portuguese State should take a formal diplomatic position in relation to the attack of the Portuguese flag vessel that addresses Gaza, underlining a violation of navigation laws.
During dawn on Tuesday, in Tunes, capital of Tunisia, to a Portuguese flag vessel was hit by an incendiary drone.
The attack occurred at night, when a drone launched an incendiary device on the ‘Family Boat’, which is part of the Global Sumud flotilla towards Gaza, causing a fire that was controlled by crew and passengers on board, including activist Miguel Duarte.
The coordinator of the Left Bloc, Mariana Mortágua, who also participates in the mission, appealed to a reaction from the international community.
In a reaction, Henrique Gouveia and Melowho was head of the staff of the Armada, considered that, because it is a vessel with Portuguese flag attacked outside a conflict zone, the Portuguese state must react.
“International laws and navigation laws must be respected, and we, as a state, We must fight to make these laws respected”Said the presidential candidate, in statements to Lusa.
“In my opinion, it must [tomar posição]because it is an incident in international waters, in an area that is not a declared zone of conflict, and we should not allow in international waters the vessels to be attacked”He justified.
The candidate stressed that, although the Portuguese State should not take responsibility for vessels that voluntarily enter conflict zones, The case in question requires diplomatic attention.
“One thing is a vessel to enter a statement zone as a conflict zone, of high risk, and then the responsibility of this performance can be an irresponsible performance, should not fall on the Portuguese State,” he said.
However, he continued, “in international waters, in a context of normal navigation, a Portuguese flag vessel to be attacked should be a concern for the Portuguese state.”
This Tuesday, the Spanish government reiterated diplomatic support to the flotilla that intends to reach Gaza. However, it stated that the alleged attack on one of the boats, being “a strange fact, which we need to investigate ”.
A National Guard Tunisina also denied The existence of any attack on the drone flotilla, ensuring that, according to their first findings, “no” device had been detected.
Flotilha denounces new incendiary attack
Already in the early hours of Wednesday, a different vessel denounced that it was the target of a New incendiary attack with drone.
The activist flotilla to Gaza announced that another of its vessels was hit off Tunes and said he suspected the attack of a drone24 hours after a similar incident, on the Portuguese flag vessel.
This announcement came hours before the expected match of the humanitarian fleet towards the Palestinian territory besieged by Israel.
The “soul”, with British flagit was hit, according to the activist organization, in tunisin waters, off the Sidi Bou Saïd, the Tunisino Port to the north of Tunes, capital of the country.
In a video published on social networks by the United Nations Rapporteur for Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, You can see a fireball falling over the deck of a boat.
BREAKING!!‼️
Second attack on the Flotilla, still in Tunisian waters, in two days!
Video evidence suggests that a drone – with no light so it could not be seen – dropped a device 👇that set the deck of the Alma boat on fire.
Look by yourself and draw your conclusions
– Francesca Albanese, a special rapporteur opt (@franceskalbs)
“Video images suggest that a drone – without lights, not to be seen,” he launched a device that set fire to the Alma boat, “wrote Albanese.
“Experts suggest that it was a Granada Faria Surrounded by fuel -soaked plastic materials, which could have been inflamed before falling on the ship, ”he added.
The boat “suffered damage caused by a fire on the upper deck. The fire has already been extinguished and All passengers and crew are well“The flotilla announced in the statement.
France Presse agency unsuccessfully tried to get a comment from the National Guard Tunisine about this new complaint.
