(MENAFN) Early Wednesday, the Israeli Navy launched an assault on ships belonging to the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC)’s Thousand Madleens to Gaza in international waters, approximately 120 nautical miles (222 kilometers) from the Gaza Strip.

The coalition’s tracking system reported that the Israeli military targeted all nine vessels involved in the mission.

The International Committee for Breaking the Siege on Gaza condemned the attack on the social media platform X, stating, "The Israeli occupation commits a war crime again in international waters. We will not stop .. The genocide must be stopped and the siege broken."

This statement reflects the coalition's ongoing determination to challenge the blockade.

A press statement released by the Thousand Madleens to Gaza campaign detailed that within an hour, the Israeli military assaulted all nine boats while they were still in international waters.

The vessels named included Abd Elkarim Eid, Alaa Al-Najar, Anas Al-Sharif, Gaza Sunbird, Leïla Khaled, Milad, Soul of My Soul, Um Saad, and Conscience.

According to Israel's Foreign Ministry, communicated via X, the ships and the activists aboard them were taken to an Israeli port and are "expected to be deported promptly."

Earlier, the coalition confirmed the interception of three specific vessels, saying, "We confirm that three vessels -- Gaza Sunbird, Alaa Al-Najjar and Anas Al Sharif -- have been attacked and illegally intercepted by the Israeli military at 04:34 a.m., 220 km off the coast of Gaza."

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