Published Tuesday, 30 June 2009
Nobel laureate Mairead Maguire was on board the boat carrying humanitarian supplies near the Gaza coast when they were seized in international waters on Tuesday morning, according to the Free Gaza Movement.
The small boat Spirit of Humanity was on its way to deliver medical supplies to Gaza.
The 21 people on board who were taken to Israel include eight from Britain and Ireland as well as fellow activists from the US, Denmark and the Middle East.
The Foreign Office said it was aware of the reports and was trying to clarify the facts, including from the Israeli authorities.
A spokeswoman said: "We would be concerned if the stories of the Israeli Navy boarding the boat in international waters were true.
"We have made it clear to Israel that we are very concerned for the safety of British nationals."
The group said their boat was carrying medical and reconstruction supplies as well as children's toys and could not possibly constitute any sort of threat to Israel.
The vessel was searched and received security clearance from the Cypriot Port Authorities before departing and never approached Israeli waters, they said.
Ms Maguire, winner of a Noble Peace Prize for her work in Northern Ireland, said in a statement:
"The aid we were carrying is a symbol of hope for the people of Gaza, hope that the sea route would open for them, and they would be able to transport their own materials to begin to reconstruct the schools, hospitals and thousands of homes destroyed during the onslaught."
Speaking by phone from the boat Mairead Maguire earlier reported that Israeli naval personnel "threatened to open fire on the humanitarian mission if it attempted to reach the Gaza coast."
Her fellow passenger Ms McKinney, a former US presidential candidate, said: "This is an outrageous violation of international law against us. Our boat was not in Israeli waters, and we were on a human rights mission to the Gaza Strip.
"We're asking the international community to demand our release so we can resume our journey."
Foreign Secretary David Miliband Miliband said he would follow up the issue.
"It is obviously vital that all states respect international law, including in respect of the laws of sea," he said.