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Global Sumud Flotilla

Israel's naval command has ordered a flotilla transporting humanitarian aid to Gaza to alter its path, as activists assert that the boats have been boarded.

The Global Sumud Flotilla announced on social media that some its ships had been boarded by "armed forces" after being intercepted by Israeli ships and that it was working to confirm the status of those on the vessels.

The Israeli government officials announced that the navy had warned the flotilla to alter direction as it was "entering an ongoing war zone". Israeli authorities has not yet verified that it has taken over any ships.

Israel has in the past said it would would not let the aid mission to reach its destination. An earlier attempt resulted in participants detained by Israel's military and transported to shore.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry claimed the flotilla had been informed it was "breaching a legitimate naval blockade" that applies to the waters off the coast of the Gaza Strip—although it is unknown if the boats had entered the restricted area.

The Global Sumud Flotilla announced multiple vessels, including the Alma, as well as the and another ship and the a third boat, had been intercepted.

Before that, it claimed the Israeli armed forces of "purposely interfering with vessel communication systems, in an effort to prevent distress signals and stop the livestream of their unauthorized vessel boarding".

A number of boat live cameras are currently livestreaming and show activists on the vessels.

It added that the flotilla was seventy nautical miles from Gaza's coast.

The Global Sumud Flotilla expressed hope it aimed for its vessels would reach on the Gaza coast on Thursday.

France's Foreign Minister the French official additionally confirmed the GSF aid mission was being intercepted.

He declared in a statement that France had worked to guarantee "that any possible boarding operation would take place under the optimal safety circumstances".

Italy's foreign minister announced he had been given assurances by Israeli officials that its armed forces would would not resort to violence against the 500 individuals aboard, including Italy's elected officials and Swedish environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg.

Antonio Tajani remarked: "The interception was planned, we are talking about it... with [Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon] Saar so that there would be no violent actions on the part of the Israeli armed forces, and that has been promised to me."

Israeli forces has already blocked a couple of attempts by activists to deliver humanitarian supplies by sea to Gaza, in June and the month of July.

Previously, Italian authorities and Greek officials urged the Israeli government to ensure the well-being and security of the activists and said they were closely watching developments.