Turkish officials have called for the release of three lawmakers detained after Israeli forces intercepted their boats heading for Gaza, AFP reports.

Turkey’s foreign ministry slammed the interception as an “act of piracy”, describing it as “an attack on civil activists, including Turkish citizens and members of parliament”.

“This is a serious violation of international law. Our three MPs and all activists illegally detained must be released immediately and unconditionally,” Sena Nur Celik Kanat, a lawmaker from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AKP party, told AFP.

Celik Kanat was among more than 80 members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe who signed a letter calling for the activists’ release.