A recorded message from the activists of the Hanthala ship, appealing for their release after their detention by the occupation army.

This came in pre-recorded video messages from activists, posted by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition on social media, in which they confirmed that they had been "abducted in international waters by Israeli forces."

In the video messages, the activists, after announcing their nationalities, say: "If you are watching this video, you should know that I was intercepted at sea and kidnapped by Israeli forces who are committing genocide against Palestinians."

Through these messages, activists called on their friends, families, and the world to pressure their governments to secure their release after they were detained by Israeli forces.

On Saturday, Israeli naval forces stormed the Hanthala ship, carrying international activists, as it was heading to the Gaza Strip in an attempt to break the blockade imposed on the Palestinian enclave. The ship was fully seized.

The fate of the ship's crew and the activists remains unknown after the live broadcast was cut off immediately after the raid. Prior to the raid, the ship issued a distress call after Israeli naval forces approached it while it was close to the Gaza Strip's shores.

The International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza said in a post on the X platform that "the occupation forces are heading towards the Hanthala, and the ship is sending a distress call."

For its part, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Hanthala ship was "on its way to Israeli shores," after Israeli forces stormed and seized it.

"The ship is on its way to Israel's shores," the ministry said in a statement published by the official broadcaster. "All passengers are safe," it added, claiming that "attempts to break the blockade are dangerous and illegal."

Earlier on Saturday, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition announced in a statement that drones were seen hovering over the ship, which had set sail from the Italian coast in a new attempt to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.

On July 13, the Hanthala set sail from the Italian port of Syracuse, before docking at Gallipoli on the 15th of the same month to overcome some technical issues. It then set sail again on July 20, heading for Gaza, carrying 21 activists.

On June 9, the Israeli occupation forces seized the Freedom Flotilla ship, the Madeleine, in international waters while en route to the besieged Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian aid. The ship was arrested along with 12 international activists on board. Israel later deported the activists on condition that they pledge not to return.

Before that, the Gaza blockade-breaking ship, the Damir, was attacked by an Israeli drone on May 2nd while attempting to sail towards Gaza, causing a hole in its hull and a fire in its bow.

The Gaza Strip is experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in its history, with a severe famine intertwined with a war of extermination waged by Israel since October 7, 2023.

With the complete closure of crossings and the ban on the entry of food and medicine since March 2, famine has spread throughout the Gaza Strip, and symptoms of severe malnutrition have appeared among children and patients.

The genocide, with American support, left more than 204,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 9,000 missing, in addition to hundreds of thousands of displaced persons and a famine that claimed the lives of many.