Israeli Defense Minister threatens activist Greta Thunberg and crew members of the Madleen, a ship bound for Gaza.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and the rest of the crew of the Madleen, the Freedom Flotilla ship en route to Gaza to try to deliver humanitarian aid, on Sunday to turn back because they will not be able to reach the enclave.

"I have ordered the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) to act so that the Madleen flotilla does not reach Gaza. To the anti-Semitic Greta and her friends, I say clearly: turn around because you will not reach Gaza," Katz said, in statements shared by his office.

The boat, with 12 activists on board, including Thunberg, arrived off the Egyptian coast on Sunday before continuing its journey to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, according to a statement from the campaign organizers.

The ship flies the British flag and set sail from Sicily last Sunday.

According to the Israeli Defense Ministry, Katz has ordered the army to take "all necessary measures" to prevent the ship from reaching Gazan shores.

"The State of Israel will not allow anyone to violate the naval blockade of Gaza, whose primary objective is to prevent the transfer of weapons to Hamas, a murderous terrorist organization that holds our hostages and commits war crimes," the minister explained.

German human rights activist Yasemin Akar, who is also aboard the Madleen, spoke in today's statement about the possibility of being attacked by the Israeli army: "If Israel attacks us, it will be another war crime. We wouldn't have embarked on this mission if we didn't believe we would reach Gaza."

The Madleen's voyage comes after the Conscience, on May 2, Another ship of the Freedom Flotilla sailing under the flag of Palau, suffered two attacks from a drone on the bow when it was 14 miles east of Malta.

The group blamed Israel for the attack, which never claimed responsibility.

MEP Rima Hassan, who is also on board the Madleen, urged the world's governments to ensure safe passage for the Freedom Flotilla.

He also noted that more than 200 European lawmakers have signed an open letter to Israel demanding that it allow the ship to reach Gaza and "immediately facilitate the entry of its humanitarian cargo."

The Freedom Flotilla, formed in 2010, is a nonviolent international movement in solidarity with Palestinians, with a humanitarian dimension, and actively fighting against the Israeli blockade of Gaza.