There should be an investigation into the drone attacks on the Gaza aid flotilla, says the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, reports Al Jazeera.

“The deliberate targeting of a civilian aid ship in international waters is a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, the Law of the Sea, and the Rome Statute, which prohibits the targeting of humanitarian objects,” the organisation said in a statement.

It added: “This attack falls within a recurring and documented pattern of force being used to prevent ships from reaching the Gaza Strip, even before they approach its shores.”

The organisation is calling for an “independent and transparent investigation under Maltese jurisdiction, with the participation of the United Nations”. It is also demanding “guarantees for safe sea passage for humanitarian aid bound for Gaza”.

A spokesperson for the Gaza Freedom Flotilla says the group blames Israel or one of its allies for the attack, adding it currently does not have proof of this claim.