The flotilla said in a statement that the "Family" ship, one of the ships involved in delivering humanitarian aid and medical support to Gaza, faced an emergency situation following a technical malfunction that caused it to lose the ability to maneuver, resulting in it drifting in the open sea.
The statement explained that the malfunction occurred shortly before the Israeli occupation army attacked the flotilla's boats, noting that the ship had 27 people on board, including doctors, legal observers, and members of the "Global Steadfastness Flotilla" board of directors, along with representatives of international delegations and the ship's crew.
The statement said the ship's captain issued a distress call to the Turkish coast guard, which responded quickly by sending naval units and three frigates that arrived at the ship's location within two hours.
The fleet stressed that "the humanitarian sense and coordination shown by the Turkish authorities was of great importance in ensuring the safety of the activists and health volunteers on board the ship."
In this context, Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said on Tuesday that the Turkish Coast Guard secured the "Family" ship after it suffered a breakdown, and was able to tow it safely to Adrasan Bay in Antalya province.
In a post on the "In Social" platform, Gefti explained that the ship issued a distress call following a technical malfunction, prompting the dispatch of three ships and a boat belonging to the Turkish Coast Guard. He noted that the ship was successfully towed, along with all the activists on board.
The minister affirmed that Türkiye will remain "the strongest supporter of human dignity, of the conscience that stands with the oppressed, and of the just struggle," attaching to his post photos documenting the rescue operation.
On Thursday, the flotilla set sail from the Turkish city of Marmaris with the participation of 54 boats, in a new attempt to break the Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip since 2007.
On Monday morning, the Israeli occupation army began seizing a number of boats in the flotilla and kidnapping its participants, in a move that sparked widespread condemnation, including from Amnesty International, which described the operation as "shameful and inhumane".
Approximately 2.4 million Palestinians, including nearly 1.5 million displaced persons, are living in catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, exacerbated by the two-year Israeli genocide that left more than 72,000 martyrs and over 172,000 wounded, most of them children and women, in addition to an unprecedented famine that claimed the lives of children and the elderly.
Despite the ceasefire agreement announced on October 10, 2025, Israel continues its operations by restricting the entry of humanitarian aid and carrying out daily bombings, resulting in the martyrdom of 877 Palestinians and the injury of 2,602 others, according to local data.
