The Turkish delegation at the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla on Thursday told Anadolu that Israeli forces have detained 20 Turkish nationals after intercepting the fleet in international waters more than 600 nautical miles from Gaza, a few miles off Greek territorial waters.

Israeli forces surrounded the boats off the coast of the Greek island of Crete late on Wednesday and carried out a raid, detaining more than 170 activists on board, the Turkish delegation told Anadolu.

The detained Turkish nationals are as follows: Mustafa Enes Topal, Muhammed Ozdem, Ali Deniz, Yunus Kava, Sahin Yaslik, Mustafa Arslan, Abdulselam Demir, Nevzat Oylek, Nevzat Guzel, Halil Erdogmus, Abdullatif Fasli, Huseyin Suayb Ordu, Mahmut Akay, Gorkem Duru, Mehmet Atli, Mukremin Kose, Ramazan Tekdemir, Mahmut Cagatay Yavuz, Huseyin Oral, and Omer Osman Tastan.

The Israeli navy intercepted vessels from the flotilla late on Wednesday as they headed towards Gaza to break a longstanding blockade on the enclave.

The group said Israeli forces surrounded the convoy in international waters near the Greek island of Crete, jammed communications, and seized 21 vessels, adding that 17 vessels managed to escape and enter Greek waters following the incident.

The flotilla, carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza, aims to break Israel’s blockade and open a humanitarian corridor by sea.

The move came hours after Hebrew media reported that Israel was preparing to intercept the flotilla, which includes around 100 boats in total carrying nearly 1,000 activists from several countries.

Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza since 2007, leaving about 1.5 million Palestinians out of roughly 2.4 million homeless after their homes were destroyed during Israel’s genocidal war on the enclave.