The Ottomans stayed away from Malta following the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, but began to make incursions to the central Mediterranean once again at the end of the century.

The obsolete Cittadella of Gozo was rebuilt, Valletta's water supply was secured by the building of the Wignacourt Aqueduct, and construction began on coastal watchtowers.

Without waiting for Spanish reinforcements, Osuna gathered 26 Sicilian, Maltese and Neapolitan galleys and sent them under the command of Ottavio d'Aragona in the hope to intercept the Turkish expedition.

[3] Two hours before dawn on 6 July 1614, a considerable Turkish force of sixty ships (including 52 galleys) under the command of Damat Halil Pasha[4] tried to land in the bay at Marsaxlokk, but were repelled by artillery fire from the newly constructed Saint Lucian Tower.

[5] The cannons of Valletta and Mdina sounded the alert, while Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt ordered all slaves to be imprisoned and all knights to move to their guardposts.

The attack is described in a commemorative plaque engraved close to the main altar of St Gregory's, which states that:[7][clarification needed][dead link‍] In the early hours of Sunday, July 6, 1614, a Turkish army landed from 60 galleys, disembarking six thousand men in the place called Ghizira in Saint Thomas' creek.

Extracted from the second book of baptisms for this parish.The Order sent a cavalry regiment to attack the invaders, under the command of the knight de Compremy,[5] but they were almost defeated by the Ottoman raiders.

[5][6] The Ottomans returned to their ships and after a failed attempt to make another landing at St. Paul's Bay,[6] they sailed to Mellieħa to take on water[2] and attacked the village and its sanctuary.

[3] Khalil Pasha set sail for the Barbary Coast,[5] going to Tripoli in Ottoman-ruled Tripolitania on a punitive expedition against a local insurgent.

[14] One of the main roads into Żejtun, which passes close to the site of the battle with the Turks, was renamed Triq l-Aħħar Ħbit mit-Torok, in memory of the attack.