An activist ship, the Madleen, attempting to break the Israeli sea blockade and deliver relief supplies to Gaza, has been intercepted and redirected. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports that the ship has changed its course to the coast of Israel.

The Israeli navy ordered the Madleen to change course as it approached a prohibited area. Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz previously ordered the armed forces to prevent the ship from reaching Gaza.

Everyone on board is safe, according to the ministry’s report. According to Israel, the activists will return to their countries of origin once they are ashore.

The ship, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, departed from Sicily a week ago with a load of relief supplies, including milk powder, flour, rice, diapers, and menstrual products. The organizers aimed to draw attention to the sea blockade and the situation in Gaza.

Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, reported losing contact with the ship. According to Albanese, the captain reported that no one was injured during the interception.

Greta Thunberg, actor Liam Cunningham, and French Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan were among the twelve people on board. The captain is the Dutch Mark van Rennes.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition has been sending ships for fifteen years to highlight the Israeli sea blockade. None of those ships has ever actually reached Gaza. They were returned by the Israeli army or diverted to the port of Ashdod.

In 2010, nine activists were killed by Israeli bullets during an action against a fleet of six ships from the organization.