Rome, Italy - Italy's Defense Minister Guido Crosetto sent a navy frigate to assist a Gaza-bound aid flotilla Wednesday, after organizers said several of their boats had been targeted by suspected Israeli drones off Greece.

The Global Sumud Flotilla said more than a dozen explosions were heard around the flotilla as it sailed off Greece late on Tuesday, with damage caused by "unidentified objects" dropped on deck.

"To ensure assistance to the Italian citizens on the 'Flotilla'... I spoke with the Prime Minister and authorized the immediate intervention of the Italian Navy's multipurpose frigate Fasan, which was sailing north of Crete as part of Operation Safe Sea," Crosetto said in a statement posted by the ministry on X.

"The vessel is already en route to the area for possible rescue operations," he said.

Crosetto expressed "the strongest condemnation" of the attack on the flotilla using "drones by currently unidentified perpetrators."

The UN Human Rights Office also called for an "independent, impartial and thorough investigation" into the incident.

Participants in the humanitarian mission, which include Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and Nelson Mandela's grandson Mandla Mandela, did not hesitate to identify the perpetrators as they pointed the finger at Israeli forces.

The Global Sumud Flotilla set sail from Barcelona earlier this month with the aim of breaking the Israeli blockade of Gaza and delivering aid to the territory.

It currently numbers 51 vessels, most of which are off the Greek island of Crete.

Vessels waiting to join the flotilla had already been targeted in two suspected drone attacks in Tunisia.

Israel has already illegally and violently blocked two attempts by activists to deliver aid by ship to Gaza, which is suffering under an imposed famine.

On Tuesday, the Israeli government explicitly threatened to "take the necessary measures" to stop the flotilla from delivering food, baby formula, and other essential items.