Prime Minister Abela accused of being selective in the information he’s giving

Times of Malta, May 6, 2025

Days before the attack on the Gaza aid ship Conscience, the Israeli government asked Malta not to allow the vessel access to its territorial waters or else to allow it in and detain it because it had no certification, according to Arnold Cassola, the head of the Momentum political party.

Cassola asked if Prime Minister Abela was selectively leaving out information.

The Conscience is operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which is hoping to sail it to Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid. 

Palau – the flag state of the vessel – removed the ship from its register just a day before it was reportedly attacked by two drones in the early hours of Friday, suffering damage to its bow area. 

The ship remains anchored just outside Maltese territorial waters. The government has offered to assist in repairs but has refused to allow it in. 

“Yesterday, when speaking to journalists, Prime Minister Robert Abela said it was ‘too early’ to determine whether the vessel was the target of an attack, following Friday’s incident that left the ship damaged,” Cassola observed, noting that he had refused to say whether Israel was involved.

“In this respect, can Robert Abela confirm that, in the days preceding the attack on the humanitarian ship Conscience, the Israeli government sent an official written request to the government of Malta informing that the vessel did not have current certification and therefore was requesting that the Maltese authorities either do not allow the vessel access to Maltese waters and harbours or else that Malta allows it into our waters and detains it?”

He said that clear replies by Abela would help dispel any speculation and help the Maltese people make their conclusions on the basis of concrete and hard facts.

Times of Malta cited military experts on Monday saying that the Conscience blast was likely caused by loitering munition.

Loitering munitions, also known as ‘suicide drones’ or ‘loitering missiles’, are a category of weapon systems designed to loiter over an area of interest for a period of time before striking a target.