ANKARA/ISTANBUL

Türkiye is "closely" following the situation of its citizens on board the Gaza-bound aid ship Madleen, which came under Israeli attack, diplomatic sources said on Monday.

The Turkish Embassy in Tel Aviv took the necessary steps to have the citizens released as soon as possible after the ship reached land, the sources noted.

The relatives of the Turkish citizens are being informed regularly, they added.

Earlier, Israeli soldiers kidnapped 12 people on board the Madleen, including 11 activists and one journalist, said the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an international NGO, which organized the mission.

The NGO added that communication with the vessel has been lost.

Among the people on board are Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg; French-Palestinian Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan; Yasemin Acar from Germany; Baptiste Andre, Pascal Maurieras, Yanis Mhamdi, and Reva Viard from France; Thiago Avila from Brazil; Suayb Ordu from Türkiye; Sergio Toribio from Spain; Marco van Rennes from the Netherlands; and Omar Faiad, a journalist with Al Jazeera Mubasher, also from France.