Itongadol.-The IDF has succesfully intercepted the "Zaytouna" sailboat containing 15 female activists, which was aiming to break the blockade on the Gaza Strip.
The women were stopped by the Navy without incident or injury, and the activists are en route to the port of Ashdod.
Contact with the vessel was lost some minutes preceding the report of the takeover, the Twitter account "Women\’s boat to Gaza" announced, and pre-recorded SOS videos by the crew members were published on YouTube, asking that viewers petition their governments in order to secure their release.
Before the interception, Israeli security estimated that similar to previous flotilla attempts, the all-female ship was merely trying to generate publicity. Israel does not permit unauthorized breaches of the naval blockade off of the Gaza coastline, and Israel is yet to confirm whether the flotilla was transporting humanitarian aid at all.
A security source said on Tuesday "there is no siege on Gaza. Israel sends between 800-1000 trucks with goods everyday. Anyone can send goods to the Gaza Strip on the condition that they pass a regulated check, therefore claims of a siege are baseless from the beginning."
The source added that "media \’shows\’ like this will not help the Gaza Strip to recover."
The flotilla was supposed to arrive to Israeli naval territory on Tuesday night, however it was delayed by a day.