Katz threatens activists on the blockade-breaking boat "Madeleine" and orders them to be prevented from reaching Gaza.

Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz threatened activists participating in the "Madeleine" boat bound for the Gaza Strip as part of the campaign to break the siege on Sunday afternoon, demanding that they return to where they came from.

Katz explained that he had instructed the Israeli army to take the necessary measures to prevent the boat from reaching the shores of Gaza.

The International Committee for Breaking the Siege on Gaza announced on Sunday that the Madeleine, a ship that set sail from Italy to break the blockade on the Palestinian enclave, has crossed areas along the Egyptian coast and is approaching the Gaza Strip.

The committee, representing one of the trip organizers, said on its X platform account: "We passed through the city of Alexandria (northern Egypt), and within hours we will be north of the city of Mansoura... heading to Gaza."

She pointed out that "the coming hours are the most critical hours of our journey to Gaza."

Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who was on board the ship, shared photos of the voyage in a post on her Instagram account on Sunday.

Days ago, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (KAN 11) reported that Israel had decided to prevent the Madeleine, a ship that had set sail from Italy in an attempt to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip, from approaching or docking off the coast of the Strip.

According to the authority, there was an initial move to allow the ship to reach Gaza as long as it did not pose a "security threat," but the decision was later changed "to prevent the creation of a precedent that could be repeated."

The ship is carrying 12 people, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and Irish actor Liam Cunningham.

On May 2, the Al-Dumayr ship was attacked by a drone while attempting to break the blockade, causing a hole in its hull and a fire in its bow, according to sources from the coalition organizing the voyage.