Activists sailing an aid flotilla to Gaza said they were attacked Friday in international waters off Malta by what they suspect was an Israeli drone.

The Maltese government and Cypriot rescuers said they had responded to a distress call from organizers of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, while Malta said all crew members were safe and made no mention of the attack.

Cyprus's rescue agency said it had been informed by the island's foreign ministry of an Israeli drone strike.

The Israeli military did not provide an immediate response when contacted by AFP.

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"At 00:23 Maltese time, the Conscience, a Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship came under direct attack in international waters," the activist group said in a statement.

"Armed drones attacked the front of an unarmed civilian vessel twice, causing a fire and a substantial breach in the hull," it added.

"Israeli ambassadors must be summoned and answer to violations of international law, including the ongoing blockade and the bombing of our civilian vessel in international waters."

Asked whether the group believed Israel was behind the attack, a spokesperson told AFP they "suspected" that was the case.

"While we can not confirm 100%, we suspect it's Israel," Hay Sha Wiya said, calling the country "the primary entity interested in keep us and any aid out of Gaza."

Anti-war organization CODEPINK, whose board member Ann Wright is part of the mission, also issued a statement "strongly" condemning the attack and urging an end to Israel's destruction of Gaza.

Following the distress call, the Malta Vessel Traffic Services body dispatched a tugboat and offered support, although activists said it was slow to respond.

"The tug arrived on scene and began firefighting operations. By 0128 hrs, the fire was reported under control," the Maltese statement said.

Cyprus also dispatched a vessel following the distress call.

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"The Larnaca Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) has been informed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus that a vessel possibly transporting humanitarian aid to Gaza came under missile attack by an Israeli Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) while sailing within the Search and Rescue (SAR) Region of Malta," the Cypriot rescue body said.

It said a Cypriot-owned vessel in the area "participated in firefighting operations".

The Freedom Flotilla's mission is to "challenge Israel's illegal and deadly siege of Gaza, and to deliver desperately needed, life-saving aid".

Israel has since March 2 blocked all aid deliveries to Gaza, and resumed its mass killing and starvations of Palestinians in what many experts believe is a full-blown genocide.

The International Committee of the Red Cross warned Friday that the humanitarian response in Gaza was on the "verge of total collapse" after two months of Israel blocking aid to the territory.

A previous Freedom Flotilla sailed from southern Turkey in 2010, when Israeli forces stormed the vessel, killing 10 people and wounding 28.