Israeli forces have intercepted a yacht carrying activists and a small quantity of humanitarian aid that was trying to reach the Gaza Strip
Climate activist Greta Thunberg and a French lawmaker are among 12 people aboard the Madleen. Thunberg says they have been "kidnapped"
Israel's foreign ministry has branded it a "selfie yacht" carrying "less than a single truckload of aid"
It's not yet clear when the vessel will arrive in the Israeli port city of Ashdod – Israeli officials say it is still en route, after local media earlier reported the yacht had docked
The Palestinian foreign ministry has called for protection of the activists' safety, and a UN official has asked for more ships to "sail together" to bring aid to Gaza
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Watch: Moment activists say Israel intercepted their boat
Edited by Alex Smith
Joe Inwood
World news correspondent
Bright lights were flashing and screeching noises caused some to cover their ears the moment the Madleen was boarded, according to footage captured by an onboard security camera.
A voice, which appears to belong to Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila, can be heard repeatedly telling the crew to “ditch your phones… phones in the water”. Shortly after, someone can be seen hurling a device off the side of the boat. A laptop is also thrown overboard.
He tells everyone to “assume positions”, before giving a thumbs up to someone outside the boat. It is not clear who he is signalling to, although it would appear to be someone on another vessel.
He can then be seen saying into a phone: “We are being boarded now… it’s very important you know, no one is wounded now. No one was wounded when they boarded our boat.”
A woman’s voice says: “If anything happens to us, this is a war crime.”
The mood onboard appears calm, with the crew’s hands in the air.
Three and a half minutes after the start of the released recording, another boat appears in the back of the shot. Another voice can be heard saying “calm down… calm down everyone”. It is not clear who is speaking.
Ten seconds later, Israeli military personnel can be seen walking onto the boat, crouching down and talking to one of the crew. Shortly after, the footage ends.
This almost four minutes of footage was put online by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. It is not clear if the transmission stopped at this point or if only a section was released.
What is clear is that the crew of the boat were keen to make it clear they did not want to risk physical confrontation with the special forces who were boarding them.
French officials say the country will work to ensure the French citizens on the Madleen yacht will be returned as soon as possible, the AFP news agency reports.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot says France will work to "facilitate their swift return", it adds.
AFP also cites an unnamed official who says President Emmanuel Macron has requested for those on the yacht to "be allowed to return to France as swiftly as possible."
Emily Atkinson
Live reporter
In case you're just joining us, we're waiting for word on the docking of a small aid yacht – the Madleen – that has been intercepted by Israel while on its way to Gaza.
The boat's current location is still not clear, nor are the time and place it will dock, following conflicting reports from Israeli authorities and local media.
We first heard of the blocking of the vessel just after 05:30 local time (03:30 BST). It was understood to have been sailing near the Egyptian coast at the time.
The yacht's operator, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition campaign group – of which activist Greta Thunberg is a part – posted a photo showing people in life jackets sitting with their hands up on Telegram.
"SOS! The volunteers on Madleen have been kidnapped by Israeli forces," it said.
Shortly afterwards, the Israeli foreign ministry said the "unharmed" crew were now "safely" making their way to Israel.
And, just after 08:00 local time, Israel's defence minister said the intercepted vessel would be taken, along with its crew, to the Israeli port city of Ashdod.
We had been keeping an eye on the Freedom Flotilla Coalition's tracker, but the last live update was recorded around 03:00 local time.
We're closely monitoring for updates of the ship's whereabouts. Stay with us.
Twelve people have been aboard the Madleen since it set sail from Sicily on 1 June, including:
Also onboard are French doctor and activist Baptiste Andre, Turkish activist Suayb Ordu, Dutch engineering student Mark van Rennes, French citizen Reva Viard, and Pascal Maurieras, who has participated in other Freedom Flotilla missions before.
Jeremy Bowen
International editor
We’re talking about the humanitarian situation in Gaza as a result of this.
It's clear what they were trying to do, they were making a point, and the Israelis are making a point as well and they were never going to let the yacht get to the coast of Gaza – I think that was clear.
There was a previous incident in May 2010 when a Turkish ship trying to do something similar was boarded.
Back then the Israelis were very heavy handed, they killed nine of the passengers on board and wounded 30. A handful of Israeli soldiers were also injured.
Clearly the Israelis have learned a bit from that and they’re saying that the passengers are safe and well.
At the time, that incident was very damaging for relations with Turkey.
This was a mission designed to stimulate controversy and debate.
The Madleen set out from the Sicilian port of Catania on 1 June, sailing south-east through the Mediterranean Sea.
It journeyed south of Greece and the Greek islands, before sailing parallel to the coast of Egypt.
A tracker had been providing live updates of the boat's location on the Freedom Flotilla Coalition's website – but that stopped around 01:00 BST this morning, with the yacht roughly north of Cairo in Egypt and heading towards Gaza.
Greta Thunberg on the boat after it left Sicily
Earlier we reported that the Madleen had arrived in the Israeli port of Ashdod, citing an update from Israeli broadcaster Kan.
However, around 30 minutes ago, the official Israel X account said the vessel was "safely making its way to the shores of Israel", and there have since been reports in other Israeli media saying that it's still en route.
We will continue monitoring for updates and will share details with you as soon as we get them. 
Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem
The Madleen was organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a campaign group that for years has been trying to breach a blockade on Gaza that was imposed by Israel in 2007 when Hamas took control of the territory.
The activists said the goal of the mission, which carried a small amount of supplies including rice and baby formula, was to raise awareness of the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza because of Israel’s restrictions on the delivery of aid.
The passengers aboard the Madleen included the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a member of the European Parliament, which gave the mission significant media coverage.
But nobody was expecting them to reach Gaza, as previous efforts had been stopped by Israel.
In May, the group said a different ship – the Conscience – was struck by drones in international waters off the coast of Malta, as activists planned to sail to Gaza. They suggested Israel was behind the attack.
In 2010, an Israeli raid on a flotilla resulted in 10 deaths.
The Israeli foreign ministry has described the latest mission as a “selfie yacht” of “celebrities”, and Defence Minister Israel Katz called it propaganda for Hamas. He said he had instructed the Israeli forces who intercepted the vessel to screen footage of the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023, which led to the war in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues.
On Sunday, there was another deadly incident as Palestinians were heading to an aid distribution site, part of a new mechanism backed by Israel and the US for the distribution of aid.
The system bypasses the UN and aid groups that have operated in Gaza for decades, and has been criticised as insufficient and inhumane.
Israeli broadcaster Kan is reporting that the Madleen has now arrived in the port of Ashdod.
Israel's defence minister earlier said the vessel would be transported there after it was intercepted while trying to reach the Gaza Strip.
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian territories, tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the yacht ran into three incidents on its way to Gaza.
Albanese says she was in contact with the vessel during its journey, and says it was scheduled to reach Gaza at some point today.
But communications were jammed when the yacht still in international waters, she says.
"First they were surrounded by speedboats," she says. "This was the first time I heard their stress."
After the speedboats moved on and things calmed down, Albanese says two "pod copters" flew over them and claims the boat had a substance thrown over it.
Albanese says she was then on the phone with the boat and that's when Israeli soldiers boarded and "communications with the captain were abruptly interrupted."
Those onboard the Madleen had pre-recorded videos in the event they did not make it to Gaza.
All of the videos follow a similar script.
In her message, climate activist Greta Thunberg said if people could see the video it meant that she had been "intercepted and kidnapped" by "forces that support Israel".
Over the weekend, Israel warned its military would "take whatever measures are necessary" to prevent the Madleen reaching Gaza.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that the Freedom Flotilla Coalition should turn back, and that the country would act against any attempt to breach Israel's sea blockade around the territory.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said the Madleen – which left Sicily on Friday – was "prepared for the possibility of an Israeli attack".
Israel's sea blockade of Gaza has been in place since 2007, which Katz says is to "prevent the transfer of weapons to Hamas" and is essential for security as it seeks to destroy Palestinian armed group Hamas.
Hamas says the interception of the Madleen is a "flagrant violation of international law."
In a statement, the Palestinian armed group demands the activists onboard are released, and that it holds Israel "fully responsible for their safety."
It then goes on to call on the United Nations and other international organisations "to condemn this crime and take urgent action and break the siege on our people".
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition describes itself as a "people-to-people grassroots solidarity movement" which it says is working "to end the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza"
Formed in 2010, the coalition says it works with "civil society partners", rather than any party, faction or government.
The Madleen – named after Gaza's first and only fisherwoman – left Italy on 1 June with the aim of bringing awareness to food shortages in Gaza.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition says the ship is carrying a symbolic quantity of aid, including rice and baby formula. Israel says the boat includes "less than a single truckload of aid."
According to Israel's defence minister Israel Katz, the yacht is currently heading to the port city of Ashdod.
That's a city on the country’s west coast, around 27km (16.7 miles) to the north of the Gaza Strip.
Good morning to our UK audiences, and all those who are just joining our live coverage.
Here are the main developments that have taken place over the past few hours:
Stay with us as we bring you the latest updates.
Israel's minister of defence, Israel Katz, says he has instructed the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) "to show the flotilla passengers the video of the horrors of the October 7 massacre when they arrive at the port of Ashdod".
In a post on X, he accused Greta Thunberg and other activists onboard the Madleen of supporting Hamas, adding that it was "appropriate" for them to see what atrocities Hamas had committed "against women, the elderly, and children, and against whom Israel is fighting to defend itself".
Katz added that they would be taken to the port city of Ashdod.
On 7 October 2023, Hamas – designated a terrorist organisation in the UK – attacked Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says that more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military campaign that followed.
Greta Thunberg (middle) speaks during a press conference together with the crew of the Madleen
Earlier we reported that the Freedom Flotilla Coalition has been posting video messages from each activist onboard the Madleen.
In hers, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, external said the team had been "intercepted and kidnapped in international waters" by "forces that support Israel".
"I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible," she said in the video.
The Israel foreign ministry has in their own post on X said the activists were "unharmed" and that they were "safely" making their way to Israel.
As we mentioned earlier, among the 12-strong crew onboard the Madleen was Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament.
France is one of the countries leading the call for recognition of a Palestinian state.
It will co-host a United Nations conference in New York later this month with Saudi Arabia aimed at taking steps to achieve a two-state solution, which proposes an independent Palestinian state to co-exist alongside Israel. This is something Israel rejects.
“We must urgently move from words to deeds. We must move from ending the war in Gaza to ending the conflict itself,” Anne-Claire Legendre, Middle East and North Africa advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron had said at a UN session earlier last month.
“Faced with the facts on the ground, the prospects of a Palestinian State must be maintained,” she added.
The Hamas run health ministry estimates around 54,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war.
The Palestinian foreign ministry, based in the West Bank, has called for the activists onboard the ship to be protected.
In a post on X, the ministry says it "salutes the international solidarity activists aboard the ship attempting to break the siege on the Gaza Strip", calling the operation "noble".
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