Drones hit aid boat heading for Gaza

• Gaza humanitarian work on 'verge of total collapse': Red Cross 
• WFP sends out its "last remaining food stocks" to kitchens
• 2,326 Palestinians killed since Israel resumed strikes

A group of activists organising an aid boat for Gaza said yesterday it was attacked by drones in international waters off Malta as they headed towards the Palestinian territory, accusing Israel of attacking the vessel.

The Maltese government said it responded to a distress call from the vessel and offered immediate support. It said all crew members were safe, while making no mention of an alleged attack.

"At 00:23 Maltese time (2223 GMT on Thursday), the Conscience, a Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship came under direct attack in international waters," the activist group said in a statement.

"Armed drones attacked the front of an unarmed civilian vessel twice, causing a fire and a substantial breach in the hull," it added, blaming Israel.

"Israeli ambassadors must be summoned and answer to violations of international law, including the ongoing blockade and the bombing of our civilian vessel in international waters."

The Israeli military did not provide an immediate response when contacted by AFP.

Meanwhile, Gaza's civil defence agency said yesterday Israeli strikes killed at least 20 people in the Palestinian territory.

Civil defence official Mohammed al-Mughayyir told AFP 20 people had been killed since dawn, including nine following the Israeli bombardment of a home in Bureij camp in central Gaza.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said that at least 2,326 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes, bringing the overall death toll since the war broke out to 52,418.

The Red Cross warned yesterday that the humanitarian response in Gaza was on the "verge of total collapse" after two months of Israel blocking aid to the war-torn Palestinian territory.

"Without an immediate resumption of aid deliveries, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will not have access to the food, medicines, and life-saving supplies needed to sustain many of its programmes in Gaza," it said in a statement.

The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) said a week ago that it had sent out its "last remaining food stocks" to kitchens.

Israel strictly controls all inflows of international aid vital for the 2.4 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

It halted aid deliveries to Gaza on March 2, days before the collapse of a ceasefire that had significantly reduced hostilities after 15 months of war.

Since the start of the blockade, the United Nations has repeatedly warned of the humanitarian catastrophe on the ground, with famine again looming.

"Civilians in Gaza are facing an overwhelming daily struggle to survive the dangers of hostilities, cope with relentless displacement, and endure the consequences of being deprived of urgent humanitarian assistance," Pascal Hundt, ICRC Deputy Director of Operations said in yesterday's statement.

"This situation must not —- and cannot -— be allowed to escalate further."

ICRC stressed that under international humanitarian law, "Israel has an obligation to use all means available to ensure that the basic needs of the civilian population under its control are met".

"If the blockage continues, programmes such as the ICRC common kitchens — which often provide the only meal people receive each day — will only be able to operate for a few more weeks," it warned.