Belgian Foreign Minister Maxim Prévot announced on Thursday that he summoned the Israeli ambassador following the detention of seven Belgian citizens aboard ships of the Freedom Flotilla heading to Gaza, which was intercepted by the Israeli navy.

Prévot explained before the Belgian parliament that “the manner in which they intercepted the ships and the location of the interception in international waters is unacceptable, hence the summoning of the ambassador,” according to the Palestinian Ma’an news agency.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed that all ships participating in the Freedom Flotilla were intercepted and that none of the Gaza aid flotilla ships succeeded in reaching the sector.

The Global Freedom Flotilla stated that the Israeli occupation intercepted the peaceful convoy ships in international waters and abducted hundreds of volunteers.

It confirmed that more than 443 volunteers from 47 countries are being held illegally following Israel’s interception of the flotilla, noting that participants were attacked with water cannons, sprayed with sewage water, and had their communications jammed.

The flotilla described the interception of the Freedom Flotilla in international waters as a war crime and a blatant violation of international law, calling for immediate international intervention to ensure the safety of the volunteers and their immediate release.

In the same context, Israeli Channel 13 reported that the ships of the Global Freedom Flotilla, intercepted by the Israeli army while heading to the Gaza Strip, have arrived at the naval base in the city of Ashdod.