The organisers of a flotilla of aid ships bound for Gaza said on Monday ​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 on ​Monday, Israel’s foreign ministry had said on ​X that it “will not allow any breach of ⁠the naval blockade on Gaza”.

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.

Live video showed military vessels approaching the ​vessels on Monday.

“Military vessels are currently intercepting our fleet and (Israeli) ‌forces ⁠are boarding the first of our boats in broad daylight,” the Global Sumud Flotilla said on X.

“We demand safe passage for our legal, non-violent ​humanitarian mission.”

In its ​statement, Israel ⁠also called on “all participants to change course and turn ​back immediately”.

Among those reportedly detained was Saad Edhi, the grandson of the renowned Pakistani humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi and the son of Faisal Edhi of Edhi Foundation, one of the country’s largest charitable organisations.

Activists said Edhi had joined the flotilla as part of an international civilian effort to deliver humanitarian assistance to Gaza and draw attention to restrictions on aid access to the territory.

The previous flotilla departed from Spain ​on ⁠April 12.

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