The activists had set out to protest Israel’s ongoing military campaign in the Gaza Strip, which is among the deadliest and most destructive since World War II, and its restrictions on the entry of aid.

LONDON -- The Israeli Foreign Ministry said early Monday that Israeli forces had boarded and diverted a privately owned ship carrying Swedish human rights activist Greta Thunberg and several others, who said they were attempting to bring humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

Israel said it would stop a ship piloted by pro-Palestinian activists, including Greta Thunberg, from breaking its blockade of the Gaza Strip. Thunberg is one of 12 activists, including a minister of the European Parliament,

Israel says it enforced a lawful blockade in the international waters where it seized a flotilla carrying aid and activists bound for Gaza. But the seizure likely violates international laws.

Organizers say climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and other 11 activists set sail on Sunday afternoon for Gaza on a ship aimed at “breaking Israel’s siege” of the devastated territory.