AIDAdiva, a cruise ship carrying German passengers on board was under rocket fire attack when leaving the Israeli port of Ashod.
Ashod is the fifth-largest city in Israel, located in the Southern District of the country on the Mediterranean coast. It is located 32 kilometers south of Tel Aviv, 20 kilometers north of Ashkelon, and 53 kilometers west of Jerusalem. The Port of Ashdod is Israel’s largest port.
It is unclear if the rockets were those from the Israel Defense Force or from Hamas, the radical Palestinian organization currently firing dozens of rockets at cities in Israel.
When the cruise ship left Ashod, sirens were sounding in Ashod and other Israeli cities warning of attacks by the radical Palestinian Hamas organization.
German tourists cruising on AIDAdiva were in a state of shock when talking to the German News channel Tagesthemen.
Rocket parts landed on the cruise ship. Fortunately the rockets exploded before hitting the vessel deck.
No casualties or significant damages to the cruise ship have been reported.
The ship is currently on its way to the next port of Crete in Greece. It should reach Crete on Wednesday morning.
A statement released by AIDAdiva voices its regret. The cruise liner said no travel alert was issued by German authorities prior to them sailing to Israel. After the incident, German authorities issued an alert.
