Saif Abukeshk, spokesperson for the Global Solidarity Flotilla (GSF), confirmed that the humanitarian mission has been directly confronted at sea, Al Jazeera reports.

“We received the news that some of the ships were surrounded by military vessels. Others lost internet connection … and we still have video with a few of those ships,” he told Al Jazeera from Athens, Greece.

“We continue to [receive] notifications about the information that comes from the Israeli navy vessels,” Abukeshk said, adding that Israeli forces have issued warnings to flotilla vessels.

“We have some notification warning the vessels that it’s illegal to provide humanitarian aid through that, which is not surprising. I mean, this is the whole policy of the Israeli government, to starve the population until death.”