Israeli bombing of flotilla off Malta coast is an act of war against state sovereignty, humanity, and law

What we witnessed today was not merely an attack on a civilian vessel—it was a global escalation of Israeli terrorism. This was a direct assault on the whole of the international community, civil and governmental, and executed with a flagrantly deliberate expectation of impunity. Israeli terrorism must no longer be appeased. It must be condemned and confronted.

The Israeli bombing, not formally communicated to the Maltese government, was an armed assault on Malta, Europe, international waters, on the Law of the Sea, on all people of conscience—and on the very foundation of international law.

Most notably, this was a warning and an unmistakable declaration of intended hostility, directed particularly to the governments that have pledged to send official escorts and State-led aid missions to Gaza. The Israeli message is clear: any attempt—by any nation—to deliver food, water, or medicine to Palestinians as they are being annihilated will be treated as a military threat and met with war crimes.

With this attack, the world has entered a new phase in its relationship with the Israeli regime. States must now choose: either surrender their sovereignty to a regime that demands the subjugation of international law, humanitarian principles, and global peace to its genocidal will—or stand up, reclaim their sovereign agency, and affirm that no State—however armed, supported, or emboldened—is exempt from the rules that protect human life and preserve international order.

Any State that fails to condemn and respond to this act has forfeited its own sovereignty and its claim to uphold the laws that were meant to prevent global war and impunity—from the UN Charter to the Geneva Conventions, the Rome Statute, and the Law of the Sea.

The world must now decide: either contain this lawless regime, or accept a future in which law is irrelevant and the murder of civilians is a tool of policy.

We demand that all States, unions, and institutions of conscience:

1. Immediately provide safe harbor and protection for the Freedom Flotilla vessel, including its right to complete repairs and continue its humanitarian mission without interference, and to be kept safe from further Israeli violence and from any obstruction by any State. Any State obstruction will lead to legal responsibility under international maritime law, the Geneva Conventions, and customary international humanitarian law.
2. Issue formal public condemnation of the Israeli drone strike as a violation of international law — including Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, the Geneva Conventions, the Rome Statute (Articles 6 and 8), and UNCLOS protections for civilian maritime passage.
3. Mobilize State-led and diplomat-escorted humanitarian convoys to Gaza, to protect Palestinians from genocide by forced famine.
4. Demand a United Nations-led independent investigation, with full investigative authority under the UN Charter and international accountability mechanisms.
5. Invoke universal jurisdiction to investigate, arrest, and prosecute those responsible for the Flotilla bombing and related crimes against humanity.
6. Suspend arms transfers, military aid, and bilateral agreements with the Israeli regime until compliance with international law and accountability is ensured.
7. Terminate political, economic, and diplomatic protection that enables Israel’s systematic violations of international humanitarian law and shields it from prosecution.
8. Support the full rebuilding, protection, and relaunch of the Freedom Flotilla, including maritime escort, diplomatic observers, and protective State presence — so that the mission may continue, and law may prevail over annihilation.

Counsel For Freedom Flotilla Coalition:

PAL Commission on War Crimes, Justice, Reparations and Return

Worldwide Lawyers Association

Lamis J. Deek, Legal Counsel for FFC, Director of Legal and Diplomatic Affairs of
PAL Commission, US and International Attorney

Shabnam Mayet, Legal Counsel for FFC, Barrister, South Africa, Johannesburg Bar

Hüseyin Dişli, Legal Counsel for FFC, Attorney, Türkiye, Antalya Bar Association