(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Israeli navy soldiers boarded the Gaza-bound relief ship "Estelle," which was seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenge the blockade imposed on its people, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said on Saturday morning.
The newspaper said the soldiers seized control of the ship, which is carrying pro-Palestinian activists.
"When the passengers made it clear that they would not cooperate or accept the invitation to sail to Ashdod port, it was decided to seize the vessel and bring it to the port," an Israeli military source told the newspaper.
Earlier on the same day, the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang said the Israeli navy intends to attack the humanitarian aid ship Estelle off the coast of Gaza.
The newspaper affirmed that if the aid ship did not change its course and kept sailing into Gaza waters, the Israeli navy would certainly intercept it sometime on Saturday or Sunday.
The CNN also quoted passengers onboard as saying that the aid ship was flanked by Israeli gunboats this morning.
The ship is carrying humanitarian aid including two olive trees, 41 tons of cement, books, toys and medical equipment, the CNN reported.
It noted that "those onboard the ship are hoping to call attention to the blockade of the Palestinian territory, which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007."
"I want to say that we are here to give a message of solidarity to the people of Gaza," one of the passengers said.
"The siege is inhuman and immoral," he added.
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