A New Quay woman and Llanbrynmair man are amongst those to survive an Israeli attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla.

Sailors Hannah Schafer and Richard Andersen were both aboard when the Israeli navy intercepted flotilla vessels on 30 April.

The 58 boats that set off from Spain in April are part of the biggest mission to break Israel’s illegal sea blockade of Gaza.

Two from mid-Wales joined the crew, building teacher Richard and sailing instructor Hannah.

The attack in international waters outside of Greece saw 22 boats illegally stopped with 175 on board.

Despite the Israeli attack, which saw communications systems jammed before being boarded by armed raiding parties, Richard aboard the Ajjur and Hannah aboard the Azur remain on route to deliver aid to Gaza.

The Global Sumud Flotilla reports that two have been detained by Israel, while the rest are being held in Crete by Greek authorities.

A video from inside a coach in Crete shows flotilla activists, some with broken noses and bloodied shirts, with one complaining of painful ribs.

Richard described the night of 30 May as “calm and uneventful”, though his boat was “closely monitored”.

He called for those at home to lobby the government to support the flotilla: “ I can only imagine [completing the mission] safely if we have state support...

“We’re safe now, but our safety also rests in the attention we can bring to this and Israel’s actions.”

Hannah Schafer described trying to get her boat out of international waters the night Israel boarded the other boats, “not that it's ok or legal for Israelis to kidnap people, it’s piracy. Who makes the laws, and who are they for?”

The Israeli foreign ministry said due to the risk of escalation, early action was required and that the operation was carried out “peacefully and without any casualties”.