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JERUSALEM — Israeli troops commandeered a Gaza-bound ship on Saturday as the vessel tried to break through Israel’s blockade of the seaside strip ruled by the Islamic militant group Hamas.

European lawmakers and other pro-Palestinian activists aboard — including 79-year-old former NDP MP Jim Manly — did not resist, and the Finnish-flagged vessel was diverted to an Israeli port.

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Manly’s son issued a statement Saturday afternoon saying his father, who is also a retired United Church minister, was in Israeli custody

“While he is in good health for his age, he is not as resilient as he was in his youth and has medication he needs to take daily. I hope that the Israeli Defence Forces respect his human rights and legal rights and treat him with the respect and dignity he deserves,” said Paul Manly.

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The trip by the ship, Estelle, marked the latest challenge to the air, land and sea embargo of Gaza that Israel imposed after Hamas seized the territory in 2007.