The Israeli navy says it is preparing to intercept an international aid flotilla that is heading for Gaza to break Israel's blockade of the coastal territory, Press TV reported.
The Israeli military spokesman's office said on Thursday the navy had "completed the necessary preparations in order to prevent them from reaching the Gaza Strip," Al Jazeera TV network reported.
The mini aid flotilla, called Freedom Waves to Gaza, left the Turkish port city of Fethiye on Wednesday afternoon, and is scheduled to reach the Gaza Strip on Friday.
The Canadian ship, Tahrir (Freedom), and the Irish ship, Saoirse (Freedom), which are now in international waters, are carrying 27 people, including journalists and crew members, along with 30,000 dollars worth of medicines.
The passengers on the Freedom Waves to Gaza are from Canada, Ireland, Palestine, Egypt, the United States and Australia. They say their international humanitarian mission is "to challenge Israel's ongoing criminal blockade of the territory."
On Thursday, the United States warned that the aid flotilla mission was dangerous and urged US citizens not to take part in the mission.
"My sense of this was that, given the way this came together there was some element of surprise for both the Turkish government and our own government," Victoria Newland, US State Department spokeswoman said.
The Israeli military attacked the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in international waters on May 31, 2010, killing nine Turkish activists on board the Mavi Marmara, which was part of the six-ship aid convoy.
Relations between Turkey and Israel have seriously deteriorated since Israel's assault on the humanitarian mission in the Mediterranean Sea.
The organizers of the Freedom Waves to Gaza said, in an attempt to prevent Israeli intervention, they had organized their mission secretly.