This came in a post by Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, on her X account on Friday.
Albanese confirmed that she had received a disturbing call from people on board the Freedom Flotilla, which is carrying essential food and medicine for the people of Gaza, who are at risk of starvation.
"I call on the authorities in the countries concerned, including public bodies competent in the maritime field, to provide the necessary support to the ship and its crew as needed," she said.
She expressed confidence that the competent authorities would determine the facts and take appropriate action.
Earlier on Friday, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition announced that a civilian ship carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip was attacked by a drone overnight Thursday-Friday while sailing in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea near the island of Malta.
The coalition said: "At 00:23 Malta time (22:23 GMT), a Freedom Flotilla ship was attacked by a drone, which targeted the bow of the ship twice, causing a fire and a hole in its hull."
The statement added that the ship is currently in international waters near Malta and has sent an SOS distress signal.
The coalition noted that "the Maltese government has not yet responded to the distress signal issued by this civilian humanitarian ship."
The coalition called on Malta to fulfill its "duty to act and ensure the safety of a civilian vessel in distress within its immediate vicinity," as required by international maritime law.
It's worth noting that the ship was en route to Gaza carrying humanitarian aid in an attempt to break the Israeli blockade. It has yet to be confirmed who was responsible for the drone attack.
The attack made headlines in the Hebrew media, but Israel remained silent regarding the accusations against it, neither confirming nor denying the attack.
