Greta Thunberg 'safe and healthy', claims IDF after intercepting aid flotilla bound for Gaza

Israel detained the Swedish climate activist as she attempted to reach the territory by sea.

The Foreign Ministry said several vessels that form part of her flotilla have been "safely stopped" and that those on board are being transferred to an Israeli port.

The Global Sumud Flotilla - with Ms Thunberg, Nelson Mandela's grandson, Mandla Mandela, and several European lawmakers aboard - consists of nearly 50 boats and 500 activists and is carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid.

It has remained undeterred in its mission to break the Israeli blockade of the coastal strip and reach Palestinians.

Several activists posted videos on social media in which they said Israeli naval vessels were approaching the flotilla and ordering them to turn their engines off.

They said two of the flotilla's boats, Alma and Sirius, were encircled during their journey.

Their lead vessel Alma, was allegedly "aggressively circled" for several minutes, with communications cut off as the vessel was approached.Thiago Ávila, an organiser on board, described this as a "cyber attack".

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Alma’s captain was reportedly forced to make evasive manoeuvres, according to the activists, who said Israel’s ships went on to perform "harassing manoeuvres" toward another boat, Sirius.

The vessels were sailing in international waters north of Egypt on Wednesday and had entered what activists and others called a "danger zone" or "high risk zone".

While still in international waters, it is an area where the Israeli navy has stopped other boats attempting to break its blockade in the past and which the flotilla has been warned not to cross.

Overnight, the activists said two Israeli warships aggressively approached two of their boats, circling them and jamming their communications, including the live cameras on board.

"It was an intimidation act. They wanted us to see them," said Lisi Proenca, another activist who was on board the Sirius, a vessel that was targeted alongside the Alma.

ZAfter the close encounter overnight, the military vessels eventually left and the flotilla continued on its journey, broadcasting live cameras from many of its boats.