Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday dismissed the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla as "dangerous" and "irresponsible," even as activists reported being attacked by drones in international waters south of Greece. Her remarks, delivered in New York ahead of her UN address, downplayed what campaigners see as one of the few acts of grassroots solidarity capable of breaking through "Israel's" crippling blockade.

"There is no need to risk one's own safety, it is not necessary to go to a war zone to deliver aid to Gaza, which the Italian government and the competent authorities could have delivered in a few hours," Meloni told reporters.

Critics argue this framing ignores the fact that official aid "corridors" have repeatedly failed to reach Gaza's population, leaving civilian missions to step in where governments refuse to challenge "Israel's" siege.

The flotilla, made up of about 50 boats carrying doctors, lawyers, and rights defenders, including Greta Thunberg, said they came under multiple drone sorties near Gavdos island. Stun devices and small explosives damaged rigging and jammed radios on more than 10 vessels. While Italy eventually deployed the navy frigate Fasan to stand by for its citizens, Meloni offered no defense of the flotilla's right to safe passage, instead casting the activists as reckless rather than recognizing the illegality of the blockade they are resisting.

Meloni blocks solidarity

UN experts have repeatedly stressed that "Israel's" naval blockade violates international law and that humanitarian missions must be protected, not vilified. By labeling the flotilla "irresponsible," Meloni put herself at odds with those calls and reinforced a narrative that delegitimizes civil resistance to a siege that has left Gaza in famine and medical collapse.

Her record reinforces this pattern: abstentions and delays on UN Gaza votes, conditional talk of Palestinian statehood that ties recognition to Israeli demands, and a supposed "arms embargo" riddled with loopholes that has allowed Israeli-linked shipments to continue through Italian ports. For Palestinian advocates, Meloni's gestures of sympathy ring hollow when matched against policies that accommodate "Israel" and stigmatize those who try to challenge its crimes.

Read more: Lawyers urge protection for Global Sumud Flotilla en route to Gaza

Inside Italy, civil society has responded with strikes, university occupations, and mass protests, accusing Meloni of complicity in Gaza's destruction. While she condemns attacks on Italian nationals at sea, she has failed to condemn the far greater violence Palestinians endure daily under siege and bombardment.

For many, her words in New York symbolized the double standard of European leaders: quick to brand solidarity missions "dangerous," but unwilling to confront the real danger, the Israeli blockade itself.

Italy: Over 75 Italian cities saw a massive pro-Palestine general strike demanding:

— Recognition of Palestine.
— Arms embargo on Israel.
— Sanctions on Netanyahu's government.
— End to Gaza killings.

Transport, education, logistics paralyzed for 24h; port workers blocked… pic.twitter.com/wNI44E4sD9

— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 23, 2025