Israeli navy on Friday boarded two aid ships that were trying to break the naval blockade of Gaza, the press service of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said.
The two ships - the Irish Saoirse (Gaelic for Freedom) and the Canadian Tahrir (Arabic for Liberation) – carried 27 activists. They offered no resistance during the boarding.
"The boarding was carried out in line with directives from the Israeli government and after all attempts to prevent the vessels from reaching the Gaza Strip were made, but to no avail," the IDF said.
After the interception, the activists were taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod, about 35 kilometers north of Gaza City. Later, they will be handed to the Israeli police and immigration authorities, the IDF said.
After the incident, U.S. State Department officials renewed a warning to their citizens, saying that the Friday breaching may be a violation of U.S. law.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland reminded American citizens that they could face civil and criminal penalties in their efforts to deliver resources to the Gaza Strip.
