The Arab League condemned on Friday the Israeli harassment of an all-female Turkish flotilla trying to break the siege on Palestine’s Gaza.

Assistant secretary general for Palestine and the occupied Arab lands at the Arab League, Saeed Abu Ali, said in a statement that the assault on any attempt to break the siege shows the Israeli government’s willingness to continue its aggression against Palestinians, especially in Gaza, where airstrikes occurred in the past days.

The flotilla named Zaytouna included 13 female activists, including Nobel peace prize winner Mairead Maguire from Northern Ireland. It aimed to reach Gaza, but was stopped by Israeli navy forces. The 13 members were detained on Wednesday, with the Israeli media saying Friday that they were deported.

Abu Ali held Israel responsible for the safety of the 13 members, expressing the Arab League’s solidarity with their humanitarian cause. He called upon international organisations, as well as the United Nations, to end the siege on Gaza.