Türkiye evacuated activists from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla after one vessel broke down and began taking on water, organizers and the state-run Anadolu agency reported Monday.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, which includes Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg among its participants, departed from Barcelona earlier this month, aiming to break Israel's blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged Palestinian territory.
The United Nations has warned of widespread starvation in Gaza and famine in parts of the enclave amid Israel's ongoing military offensive.
In a statement posted on Instagram, the flotilla organizers said the mission was temporarily halted after one of the ships, Johnny M, sustained a leak in its engine room.
"All participants have been safely transferred to another vessel. Some will be reassigned to other ships, while others will be brought ashore," the statement said.
According to Anadolu, the vessel was located in international waters between Crete, the Island of Cyprus and Egypt when it issued a distress call early Monday.
Turkish authorities, including the Turkish Red Crescent, coordinated the evacuation effort.
Semih Fener, the captain of one of the ships dispatched to assist, told Anadolu the incident was due to a technical malfunction, not a sinking.
"We picked up 12 people and distributed them to other ships. Four people will return home," he said, adding that the evacuees would travel to their respective countries via Türkiye.
The Turkish Red Crescent confirmed to AFP it had coordinated the evacuation.
Meanwhile, Türkiye has reportedly joined Spain, Italy and Greece in monitoring the flotilla as it sailed east across the Mediterranean despite warnings from Israel.
Flight tracking websites showed that three long-endurance drones originating from Türkiye's Çorlu airbase have been circling over the flotilla for three days.
Reuters was unable to confirm the reason for the drone flights. Türkiye's Foreign and Defense Ministries and the intelligence agency did not respond to requests for comment.
Tracking sites showed about 40 boats in the flotilla. Its advance has raised international tensions, especially after a drone attack last week damaged some boats. No one was injured, but the flotilla had to pause for several days in Greek waters for repairs before setting sail again for Gaza over the weekend.
Organizers said Monday that the mission was now expected to reach Gaza in about four days. Italy and Spain have deployed navy ships to accompany the flotilla in case of rescue or humanitarian needs, but have said they will not engage militarily. Greece's coastguard had also monitored progress while the flotilla was in its rescue area.
Italy warned Sunday that the flotilla was nearing a high-risk zone and repeated a proposal made last week for the flotilla to take the aid to a Greek Cypriot port for eventual distribution in Gaza by the Roman Catholic Church. The flotilla rejected the idea.
"Israel has shown several times it has no red lines, so it is clear that we are worried by what it could do. We will obviously do everything to have a peaceful, non-violent stance," Italian European Parliament member, Benedetta Scuderi, told Italy's Radio 24 on Monday from aboard the flotilla.
