Israeli navy have seized an Irish ship, one of the last Freedom Flotilla ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, Israeli military said.
Rachel Corrie ship, named after the U.S. woman, who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza in 2003, was intercepted near to the Gaza's shore and is to be escorted to the Israeli port of Ashdod.
"According to the preliminary data, there are no casualties among both the military and the crew as no force was needed and no weapons were used," the statement said.
The crew and the ship's passengers are expected to be deported and the humanitarian aid is to be delivered to Gaza by land.
Malaysia, which has no diplomatic relations with Israel, urged international community and Israel to secure safety of all human activists on board of the ship. Malaysian media said that six Malaysians are on board of the ship.
Five days ago Israeli commandos stormed the six-ship Freedom Flotilla off the Gaza coast as it carried some 10,000 tons of aid and up to 700 human rights activists to the Palestinian enclave.
Official Israeli reports said nine people were killed in the operation, which took place in neutral waters in the Mediterranean Sea, however, Arab media reports put the death toll at close to 20.
The international community strongly criticized the Israel's attack on the flotilla. Protests against the siege of the crew took place outside Israeli embassies in many other world capitals following the incident.
TEL AVIV / JAKARTA, June 5 (RIA Novosti)
