The activists had set out to protest Israel’s ongoing military campaign in the Gaza Strip, which is among the deadliest and most destructive since World War II, and its restrictions on the entry of aid.

The environmental campaigner was sent home after she and others on the intercepted vessel said they were trying to deliver food and medical supplies.

The British-flagged yacht Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition, aimed to deliver symbolic aid to Gaza.