A ship carrying humanitarian aid bound for the Gaza Strip is approaching the Palestinian enclave, which is under an Israeli blockade.
In addition to supplies, the British-flagged Madleen is carrying climate advocate Greta Thunberg and several other activists.
As it neared Gaza early on Monday morning, the occupants aboard the Freedom Flotilla Coalition's ship said it was coming "under assault" from Israeli forces and was surrounded by quadcopters.
Israel's Navy has said it has told the aid ship to change course.
On Sunday, Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said that he had instructed the military to stop the ship from reaching Gaza, warning "the antisemitic Greta and her Hamas-propaganda-spouting friends" to turn back.
Madleen surrounded by quadcopters, Freedom Flotilla Coalition says
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, responsible for the Madleen boat carrying aid for Gaza, said it was "under assault in international waters" as it approached the besieged Palestinian enclave in the early hours of Monday.
"Quadcopters are surrounding the ship, spraying it with a white irritant substance," the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said on its Telegram channel.
"Communications are jammed, and disturbing sounds are being played over the radio."
The group then said the Israeli army had "boarded the vessel."
Israel's Foreign Ministry said the Israeli Navy was communicating with the aid ship, calling it the "selfie yacht."
"Using an international civilian communication system, the Israeli Navy has instructed the "selfie yacht" to change its course due to its approach toward a restricted area," the ministry said on X.
The post included a video purportedly showing an Israeli official announcing the following message: "The maritime zone of the coast of Gaza is closed to naval traffic. It's part of the… naval blockade. If you wish to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, you're able to do so through the port of Ashdod via the established channels…"
Aid ship being brought to Israel after being intercepted
Israel's Foreign Ministry has said that the Madleen, a ship carrying humanitarian aid bound for the Gaza Strip, has been intercepted and is "safely making its way to the shores of Israel."
The passengers, who include Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, among others, are expected to return to their home countries, the ministry said on X.
"While Greta and others attempted to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity — and which included less than a single truckload of aid — more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks," the ministry said.
"The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the 'celebrities' will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels," the statement added.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the organization that launched the Madleen, has accused Israeli authorities of "kidnapping" the people on board.
In a series of posts on Telegram, the group also said the ship had come "under assault in international waters" and that Israeli forces had sprayed the vessel with a "white irritant substance" before "illegally" boarding the ship.
Freedom Flotilla Coalition confirms Israel intercepted Gaza aid ship
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) has confirmed that the Madleen, a ship carrying humanitarian aid that was bound for Gaza, has been intercepted by Israeli forces.
In a statement, the group said its vessel was "attacked/forcibly intercepted by the Israeli military … in international waters."
"The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo — including baby formula, food and medical supplies — confiscated," the FFC said.
Israel has "no legal authority to detain" the volunteers aboard the Madleen, human rights attorney and Freedom Flotilla organizer, Huwaida Arraf, said.
Arraf added that the seizure is a violation of international law and goes against the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) "binding orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza."
The statement said Israel does not have the legal right to detain the volunteers, who are "not subject to Israeli jurisdiction and cannot be criminalized for delivering aid or challenging an illegal blockade."
"Their detention is arbitrary, unlawful, and must end immediately,” Arraf said.
