Israel seizes Swedish activist ship en route to Gaza

OCCUPIED AL-QUDS: The Israeli navy seized a Swedish-flagged sailboat attempting to breach a blockade of the Palestinian Gaza Strip on Saturday, the military said.

The 12 passengers are mostly from Sweden but also from Germany, Britain, Spain, France and Canada.

They are in custody and will be put on flights home, a spokeswoman for the Israeli Immigration Authority said.

The SY Freedom for Gaza was carrying mainly medical supplies and two of its passengers were journalists, said an organiser from a group named Ship to Gaza which organised the trip.

"Ship to Gaza demands that those who have been taken prisoner and the ship and its cargo are returned to the location where the ship was boarded and are allowed to continue their journey in international and Palestinian waters unmolested, in accordance with international law," the group said in a statement.