Israeli military personnel intercepted an international flotilla carrying food and medicine to Gaza and boarded several of its boats in international waters late Wednesday, the mission’s organisers said.

According to passengers, some 20 Israeli vessels were seen approaching the convoy as it neared the war-ravaged enclave, prompting activists to put on life vests and brace for a takeover.

“Multiple vessels were illegally intercepted and boarded by Israeli Occupation Forces in international waters,” the organisers said in a statement, adding that communications were jammed before boarding, disrupting live video streams and contact between boats.

The Global Sumud Flotilla — made up of more than 40 civilian vessels carrying some 500 people including parliamentarians, lawyers, medics, activists, and Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg — was about 70 nautical miles off Gaza when the confrontation occurred. Despite repeated Israeli warnings to turn back, organisers said the mission “will continue undeterred.”

A live video feed from one of the boats showed passengers in life jackets sitting calmly on deck. It remained unclear how many of the flotilla’s vessels had been stopped, as some participants reported continuing toward Gaza.

The Israeli military did not respond to requests for comment. Earlier, its foreign ministry said the navy had warned the flotilla it was approaching an active combat zone and violating what it called a lawful blockade, offering instead to transfer the aid through “safe channels.”

The flotilla had aimed to reach Gaza by Thursday morning if not intercepted. This was the second approach of the day: before dawn, two Israeli warships reportedly encircled two flotilla boats, causing all navigation and communication systems to crash in what organisers described as a “cyber attack.”

Video footage posted on the flotilla’s Instagram page showed the silhouette of what appeared to be a military vessel with a gun turret close to the civilian boats. Reuters confirmed the footage was taken from the flotilla but could not verify the identity of the other vessel or the exact timing.

Last week, drones attacked the flotilla with stun grenades and itching powder, damaging vessels but causing no injuries. Israel declined comment but has said it will use all means to prevent any boats from reaching Gaza, arguing its naval blockade is legal as it battles Hamas militants.

Italy and Spain deployed naval ships to assist in case of rescue or humanitarian emergencies but pulled back once the flotilla was within 150 nautical miles (278 km) of Gaza for safety reasons. Turkish drones also followed the convoy.

On Wednesday, Italy and Greece urged Israel not to harm the activists and called on the flotilla to hand over its aid to the Catholic Church for indirect delivery to Gaza — a proposal the organisers again rejected.

Israeli officials, meanwhile, dismissed the mission as a “provocation.”

“This systematic refusal (to hand over the aid) demonstrates that the objective is not humanitarian, but provocative. They are not seeking to help, they are seeking an incident,” Jonathan Peled, Israel’s ambassador to Italy, wrote on X.