The Israeli Navy seized a Swedish-flagged sailboat attempting to breach a blockade of the Palestinian Gaza Strip on Saturday, the military said.
The 12 passengers on board are mostly from Sweden but also from Germany, Britain, Spain, France and Canada. They are in custody and will be put on flights home, a spokeswoman for the Israeli Immigration Authority said.
The SY Freedom for Gaza was carrying mainly medical supplies and two of its passengers were journalists, said an organizer from a group named "Ship to Gaza," which organized the trip.
"Ship to Gaza demands that those who have been taken prisoner and the ship and its cargo are returned to the location where the ship was boarded and are allowed to continue their journey in international and Palestinian waters unmolested, in accordance with international law," the group said in a statement.
Israel imposed a maritime blockade on the Gaza Strip after the Islamist terrorist group Hamas seized control of the enclave in a military coup in 2007. Israel maintains the measure is necessary to prevent Hamas from smuggling in weapons and terrorists into Gaza.
A military statement said, "The IDF clarified to the ship's passengers that they are violating a legal naval blockade and that any humanitarian supplies can be transferred to Gaza through the Port of Ashdod."
Hamas officials had no immediate comment on the ship's seizure. Similar attempts by activists to challenge the maritime blockade of Gaza have been foiled before.
The most serious such incident was in 2010, when Israeli commandos raided a Turkish ship, the Mavi Marmara, that was leading a flotilla to Gaza. Ten activists aboard were killed, leading to a major diplomatic crisis between Israel and Turkey.
