Militants say Israeli forces have boarded a yacht trying to bring humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
The Freedom Flotilla Alliance (FFC) campaign group said on the Telegram app that the “connection has been lost” on Madleen.
It posted a photo showing people in life jackets sitting with their hands. The report cannot be verified independently.
Climate activist Greta Thunberg is those ships on board, believed to be near the Egyptian coast.
Israel's foreign ministry said earlier that the country's navy told the yacht to change courses “due to the proximity of restricted areas.” Israel said a blockade was necessary to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas militants in Gaza.
The ship left Sicily on Friday, carrying humanitarian aid and has been “prepared for the possibility of a possible Israeli attack”, the FFC said.
Israeli Defense Minister Katz warned that the yachts should look back and that Israel will take action against any attempt to violate the lockdown.
He wrote in a post on Sunday X: “I instructed the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] Take action to prevent “Madeleine” [sic] Hate Flotilla to reach the coast of Gaza and take any necessary measures. ”
Kaz said the Israeli blockade, which has been around since 2007, is intended to “prevent the transfer of weapons to Hamas” and is essential for Israel's security as it tries to destroy Hamas.
The militants on board [Freedom Flotilla Coalition]
The FFC believes that the maritime blockade is illegal, characterized by Kaz’s statement as an example of Israel’s threat of illegal use of force against civilians and “try to justify violence against the smear.”
“We are not scared. The world is watching,” said FFC press officer Hay Sha Wiya.
“Madeline is a civilian ship, not armed and navigated in international waters, carrying humanitarian aid and human rights defenders from around the world…Israel has no right to prevent our efforts to reach Gaza.”
Madleen carries symbolic assistance, including rice and infant formula, the group said.
Citizens from Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Türkiye are all on board.
In 2010, Israeli commando killed 10 people when boarding the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, which brought the aid fleet to Gaza.
After three months of land blockade, Israel has recently begun allowing limited aid to enter Gaza and prioritizes the allocation of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is supported by Israel and the United States but is condemned by humanitarian groups.
Volker Türk, the head of human rights at the United Nations, said Palestinians were given “the most severe option: die of hunger or danger, trying to get the meager food available.”
Since Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza on October 7, 2023, it has been an unprecedented cross-border attack on Israel, with about 1,200 people killed and another 251 people taken hostages.
At least 54,880 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health in the region.
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