stopped just outside of Egyptian waters<\/a> in the early hours of Wednesday morning. His daughter, Aleyah Knight, has not heard from him since.<\/p>\nAccording to human rights organisation Adalah, the flotilla passengers were taken to Ktzi’ot Prison in Israel, which they said was “notorious for harsh and abusive conditions”.<\/p>\n
The Israeli government had issued a warning that people who entered its waters would be detained.<\/p>\n
The Foreign Office said it was supporting the families of those in detention.<\/p>\n
The aid teams were warned and trained for the possibility that they might be intercepted while travelling to Gaza, Mrs Knight said.<\/p>\n
“My dad was ready to risk anything and go through anything,” she added.<\/p>\n
The fleet, made up of nine vessels and 150 people from a range of countries, was being jointly run by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Thousand Madleens to Gaza.<\/p>\n
The organisers initially said three of its boats had been stopped by Israeli forces 120 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza, but within hours, a live tracker showed that all nine boats had been stopped.<\/p>\n
Mrs Knight said the last thing she saw on the boat camera was an Israeli soldier smashing the lens with a rifle.<\/p>\n
“We saw him hitting it multiple times and then the feed was cut,” she said.<\/p>\n
The last known location of the boat Mr Ali was on was near Port Said in Egypt.<\/p>\n\n\nMr Ali was part of a flotilla delivering food and medical supplies to Gaza [Family photograph]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Mrs Knight said she still has not heard anything from her father.<\/p>\n
“I didn’t sleep from all of last night. I was just waiting to hear something, knowing what might happen and just crying from morning til night.<\/p>\n
“I felt like I couldn’t breathe not knowing if he was okay,” she said.<\/p>\n
Israel has maintained a naval blockade off the coast of Gaza since 2007, when Hamas took control of the Strip, and described attempts to breach the blockade as “futile”.<\/p>\n
Lawyers that work for the Thousand Madleens to Gaza group said they had visited some of the passengers in prison.<\/p>\n
Some of those detained claimed they were in an “abusive situation” where they were forced to kneel for hours with their hands tied behind their backs with their heads down, while having their hair pulled and being physically assaulted.<\/p>\n
Mrs Knight said some of them allegedly had to “repeat degrading comments” too.<\/p>\n\n\nWill Stone MP said he was working to get Mr Ali home [BBC]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Will Stone, the Labour MP for Swindon North, said he was working “closely and urgently” with the Foreign Office and Minister Falconer to help Mr Ali.<\/p>\n
He added that he had been in “regular contact” with Mr Ali’s family and their representatives at the Public Interest Law Centre.<\/p>\n
“While I recognise the complexity of the circumstances, I am deeply concerned by reports of the interception of a peaceful flotilla in international waters and believe that such actions raise serious questions under international law.<\/p>\n
“Please be assured that I am doing everything within my capacity to support him and to secure his safe return home,” he said.<\/p>\n\n