Israel’s naval commandos seized control of the Swedish-flagged “Marianne” boat Sunday night as it made its way to the Gaza Strip. The ship was part of a four-boat flotilla that was trying to break Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip, and was carrying medical supplies. An Israeli army spokesman said the seizure was done in accordance with the decision of the political echelon and after all diplomatic channels had been exhausted. Israeli commandos seized the ship and brought it to the port of Ashdod where the activists aboard the ship are to be questioned, before being deported from Israel. There were 18 passengers aboard the “Marianne”, including Joint Arab List MK Basel Ghattas, former Tunisian president Moncef Marzouki and Dror Feiler, a pro-Palestinian activist who had renounced his Israeli citizenship. Two other smaller ships which had been sailing alongside the Marianne turned back and a fourth ship is believed to have returned previously. Israeli officials are relieved that the ship was taken over without any violence, having feared a scenario similar to the incident in 2010 with the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish-flagged ship that also tried to land in Gaza. Violence broke out when Israeli commandos boarded the ship and nine Turkish citizens were killed. Relations between Israel and Turkey have still not recovered. Israel insists there is no siege of Gaza, and officials said the only products they have limited are things like cement and iron, which can also be used for underground smuggling tunnels and weapons. The activists say there are shortages of goods and medicine in Gaza, and the 1.8 million Palestinians living there cannot leave via Israel or Egypt.