The Maritime Security Committee is meeting and investigating the alleged drone attack on a Freedom Flotilla Coalition vessel.

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri confirmed that the committee, which he said brings together entities from different ministries and whose role is to conduct these kind of investigations, met on Friday morning and is again meeting on Friday afternoon. "I assure you that all the investigations will be made," he said.

He was responding to a question as to whether, from the information he has so far, there is any possible connection between the Freedom Flotilla's claim that it was attacked by drones, and the reports that an Israeli Military plane hovered over Malta.

He also reiterated that a statement was issued on Friday morning providing information related to the support given to the vessel overnight, and also said that presently, in the vicinity of this vessel there is an AFM patrol boat that is continuously surveilling what is happening, even if outside territorial waters.

Asked if potential Israeli involvement is one of the things being investigated, he said "the role of the Maritime Security Committee that emerges from the law is to investigate. It has to conduct all the investigations so that then it can communicate its conclusions."

Earlier in the afternoon, The Times of Malta reported that a military aircraft left Israel on Thursday and hovered around Malta, saying that this happened hours before Gaza Freedom Flotilla said that it had been the subject of a drone attack.

The newspaper identified the aircraft as a C-130 Hercules, saying that its movement was reported by an online flight tracker ADS-B exchange.

The Times reports that it showed the Israeli aircraft hovering above Malta prior to making manoeuvres over Hurd's Bank at around 5,000 feet, and says that around 7 hours later the plane returned to Israel, quoting flight-tracking data.

Questions have been sent to the Maltese government.

There is no confirmation of a link between the Israeli military plane and what happened to the Flotilla.

A ship belonging to the Gaza aid group Freedom Flotilla Coalition suffered a fire overnight in what the NGO had said was an armed drone attack in international waters just outside Malta’s territory.

The group said in a statement on its website that it had come “under direct attack in international waters.”

Maltese authorities said in a statement on Friday morning that a tugboat had responded to the emergency and that an Armed Forces of Malta vessel was also dispatched to the site.

In a statement on Friday evening, the Malta Maritime Security Committee (MMSC) said it has been meeting since the early morning in order to monitor the situation in relation to the situation of the vessel 'Conscience'.

The MMSC is composed of all the relevant public authorities with competence in maritime and, in this case, aerial security.

Whilst reiterating the commitment to abide by all international treaties and legislation the country is obliged to follow, the committee clarifies that at no point in time, during the past 48 hours, any aircraft or vessel, currently mentioned in local and foreign media in relation to the case of the vessel Conscience, entered Maltese Sovereign Airspace or the Territorial sea (12 nautical miles from shore).

Therefore, the territorial integrity of the Republic of Malta was never compromised at any stage, the statement said.

The MMSC added it will keep on monitoring the situation, whilst assistance will be provided to the vessel, according to what is stipulated under international law.