Estelle intercepted: Israel navy stops Gaza-bound boat

[Gerald]

The Israeli navy has intercepted a boat of pro-Palestinian activists trying to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The Finnish-flagged Estelle left Naples on 7 October with some 20 people of eight different nationalities aboard.

Israel imposed the blockade after the Islamist group Hamas seized control of the coastal sliver in 2007.

An IDF spokesperson confirmed the navy had boarded the ship and that no-one had been injured, but provided few further details.

The boat was boarded 30 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza, activists said, and was then being taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20015247

Note: 20 October 2012 Last updated at 10:25 GMT