A crowd gathers for a meeting at the stern of the MV Marmara passenger boat, part of the Free Gaza flotilla. Credit:Kate Geraghty

11.45pm: For the past hour, we have been observing a series of lights beyond the six sets of lights that are the flotilla ships. Were they non-military sea traffic, or was the Israeli Navy on top of us? Kate Geraghty uses her biggest lens to capture an image of what we can't really see. Blown up, it is too grainy to publish, but at the same time, clearly, it is a navy vessel. There are two on either side of the flotilla, at a distance of more than one kilometre.

10.55pm: Reading the call as intimidation, Free Gaza Movement chairwoman Huwaida Arraf rejected it out of hand.

10.50pm: The Israeli Navy engaged the flotilla, making a radio call to each ship or boat, warning the captains they were not welcome in Israeli waters, and that they were putting themselves, their passengers and their vessels at risk by attempting to proceed to Gaza. (Listen to Paul McGeough's report)



The first call came on a sultry Mediterranean about 10.30pm, with a sky filled with stars and a stunning orange moon reflected off oily waters as those on the ships sensed they were being shadowed.

The MV Challenger I, renamed Samoud, which in Arabic means steadfast, and on which myself and photographer Kate Geraghty are travelling, received its own blunt warning not to proceed.



Listen to the exchange