The activists had set out to protest Israel’s ongoing military campaign in the Gaza Strip, which is among the deadliest and most destructive since World War II, and its restrictions on the entry of aid.

Greta Thunberg has been deported from Israel after the humanitarian aid ship she was aboard was intercepted by the Israeli military and towed to the port city of Ashdod.

Israel says it enforced a lawful blockade in the international waters where it seized a flotilla carrying aid and activists bound for Gaza. But the seizure likely violates international laws.