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A vessel carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza broke down in the Mediterranean early Monday, prompting Türkiye to coordinate the safe evacuation of its passengers, authorities said.
The Johnny M, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, issued a distress call in the morning hours after its captain reported that the engine compartment was taking on water.
The ship was located in the Mediterranean between Crete, the island of Cyprus and Egypt.
Passengers on board included nationals from Luxembourg, France, Finland, Mexico and Malaysia.
Türkiye’s Red Crescent and other authorities mobilized quickly to assist the vessel, coordinating the evacuation of passengers due to the danger they faced.
In a statement on the Global Sumud Flotilla’s U.S.-based Instagram account, organizers said the operation proceeded smoothly “thanks to the swift coordination by the Turkish government and the on-site contributions of the Turkish Red Crescent.”
The statement expressed gratitude to Türkiye and the Turkish Red Crescent for their role in ensuring the safe return of participants and in supporting the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Organizers also said no significant delay was expected in the flotilla’s overall mission.
The fleet is still planned to reach its destination within four days, they added.
The flotilla set sail earlier this month to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid, particularly medical supplies, to the war-ravaged enclave.
Since March 2, Israel has fully closed Gaza’s crossings, blocking food and aid convoys and deepening famine conditions in the enclave.
Only limited supplies are sporadically allowed in, and many are looted by armed groups that Gaza authorities accuse Israel of protecting.
Israel has a record of intercepting ships headed to Gaza, seizing vessels, and deporting activists.
Critics describe such actions as piracy. The Israeli army has killed over 66,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023.
The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.
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