Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned Israel’s arrest of “more than 20 foreign journalists” after Israeli forces intercepted a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, calling for their immediate release, AFP reports.

“Arresting journalists and preventing them from doing their work is a serious violation of the right to inform and be informed,” said Martin Roux, head of RSF’s crisis desk.

“RSF condemns the illegal arrest of the news professionals who were on board these ships to cover a humanitarian operation of unprecedented scale,” said Roux.

Among the some 20 journalists on board were reporters from Spain’s El Pais, Qatar’s Al Jazeera and Italy’s public broadcaster RAI. The media organisations have had “no news of their journalists” since arrests began on Wednesday evening, said RSF.