Israeli military intercepts Greta Thunberg's freedom flotilla after firing water cannons at protesters

A spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry said: "Already several vessels of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port.

"Greta and her friends are safe and healthy."

The flotilla said that its communications were jammed before boarding began, which interfered with cameras that were providing live streams from various boats and communications between vessels.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, which consists of more than 40 civilian boats carrying about 500 parliamentarians, lawyers and activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, set out at the beginning of September to try and break Israel's blockade of Gaza.

Despite repeated warnings from Israel to turn back, the flotilla was intercepted about 70 nautical miles off the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, inside a zone that Israel is policing to stop any boats approaching.

A live video feed from one of the boats in the flotilla showed passengers in life vests sitting on deck and awaiting the Israeli navy.

A spokesman for the Global Sumud Flotilla said after the raid that all crew members were unharmed.

It is not clear how many of the boats had been intercepted or stopped. Some passengers have claimed their vessels are continuing to advance.

Last week, the flotilla was attacked by drones, which dropped stun grenades and itching powder on the vessels, causing damage but no injuries.

Israel did not comment on that attack, but has said it will use any means to prevent the boats from reaching Gaza, arguing that its naval blockade is legal as it battles Hamas militants in the coastal enclave.

Italy and Spain deployed naval ships to help with any rescue or humanitarian needs, but stopped following the flotilla once it got within 150 nautical miles (278 km) of Gaza for safety reasons.

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Turkish drones have also followed the boats.

Officials had insisted the IDF would not use violence against activists on board the flotilla.

Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani said: "The boarding was planned, we are talking about it...with [Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar] so that there would be no violent actions on the part of the Tel Aviv armed forces, and this has been assured to me.

"We instructed our embassy in Tel Aviv and the consulate in Jerusalem to assist all Italians who will probably be taken to Ashdod, but then will be expelled."

The naval blockade was imposed in 2009 by Israel, an intensification of its 2007 blockade of Gaza in response to Hamas seizing control of the territory.

It has been condemned on multiple occasions by the United Nations, which has called it "a direct contravention of international human rights and humanitarian law."

Italian unions called a general strike in solidarity with the international aid flotilla for Gaza, while protests sprang up in a number of cities late on Wednesday after reports that the ships had been intercepted by military personnel.

In the southern city of Naples, demonstrators got into the main railway station and halted train traffic, while police surrounded the Termini railway station in Rome after protesters gathered close to entrances.