Israeli forces board aid flotilla vessel in Mediterranean

The organisers of a flotilla of aid ships bound for Gaza have said that Israeli forces had boarded one of their vessels and that contact had been lost with another of the vessels in the eastern Mediterranean.

Earlier, Israel's foreign ministry had said on X that it will not allow any breach of its naval blockade on Gaza.

As Israeli military vessels intercepted the flotilla fleet, the Global Sumud Flotilla demanded safe passage for its "legal, non-violent humanitarian mission".

It called on international governments to stop what it called illegal acts of piracy on the part of Israel.

The flotilla organisers also posted a video showing boats approaching their flotilla.

One video featured Irish citizen Mikey Cullen.

Ships from the Global Sumud Flotilla had set sail for a third time on Thursday from southern Turkey, after earlier attempts to deliver aid to Gaza were intercepted by Israel in international waters.

In its statement, Israel also called on "all participants in this provocation to change course and turn back immediately".

The previous flotilla departed from Spain on 12 April.

But Israeli forces intercepted vessels in that group, taking more than 100 pro-Palestinian activists to Crete and detaining two others in Israel.