The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) confirms Israeli troops have boarded the Handala, a boat that was trying to bring food aid to the Gaza Strip by sea, on Saturday.
The Handala vessel was intercepted in international waters. Video footage showed the activists on board with their hands up as several armed soldiers took control of the vessel around 11:43pm EEST (8:43pm GMT) when the organisation lost all communication with the boat.
The Israeli foreign ministry said the country’s navy stopped the boat “from illegally entering the maritime zone of the coast of Gaza” and breaking the blockade there.
It added that the ship “is safely making its way to the shores of Israel” and that “all passengers are safe”, reports BBC. In a statement on X, the ministry said that “unauthorised attempts to breach the blockade are dangerous, unlawful, and undermine ongoing humanitarian efforts”.
Israel did not give any details about where the boat was intercepted.
Meanwhile, the FFC said Handala’s crew consisted of 21 civilians from 12 countries, including lawyers, journalists, and activists.
The group also posted a number of videos with crew members urging people around the world to put pressure on their respective governments to “sanction” Israel.
The boat was carrying baby formula, diapers, food, and medicine to Gaza, according to their website.
In June, a yacht with 12 activists on board – including Sweden’s Greta Thunberg – was intercepted by the Israeli military about 185km (115 miles) west of Gaza.
That expedition, also organised by the FFC, had been aiming to deliver aid to Gaza in defiance of Israel’s blockade and to highlight the humanitarian crisis there.
At the time, the Israeli foreign ministry dismissed it as a “selfie yacht” carrying “less than a single truckload of aid”. It added that the aid transported on the FFC boat, which included baby formula and medicine, would be transferred to Gaza “through real humanitarian channels”.
Israel and Egypt started enforcing a blockade of Gaza when Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007 by ousting its rivals, a year after winning legislative elections.