© Agence France-PresseThe Dignitי - Al Karama (Dignity - Al Karama) ship sailing off the coast of the French Mediterranean island of Corsica on June 25, 2011 to join the new pro-Palestinian aid flotilla.
Israel Radio broadcast the military's warning to the ship, which is trying to breach Israel's blockade of the coastal strip.
This is a breaking news update. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
The Israeli military said Tuesday it has made initial contact with a ship attempting to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip and warned the vessel it is approaching an off-limits naval zone.
It did not say what response, if any, the activists aboard the ship gave. Activists could not be contacted.
The Israeli military has said it will stop any attempt to break the sea blockade of Gaza.
Last year, Israeli naval commandos clashed with knife and club-wielding activists on a Turkish ship trying to reach Gaza, killing nine Turkish activists. Both sides have said they acted in self defense.
The vessel, the Dignity al-Karama, is the only ship remaining from a larger protest flotilla that had hoped to sail weeks ago but was blocked by Greek authorities.
Sixteen activists and journalists are aboard the French-based ship. They have said their mission is meant to make a "political statement" against the Israeli blockade.
The navy also notified the ship that any supplies it might have on board could be transferred legally to Gaza through an Israeli port and then across Israeli-controlled land crossings.
A France-based spokesman for a group called "A French Boat for Gaza," Maxime Guimberteau, said he was in contact with activists aboard the ship earlier Tuesday and they told him that four Israeli navy ships had surrounded the ship.
He said the vessel was about 40 miles (65 kilometers) off Gaza in international waters and that his conversation with the boat was cut off.
The activists' Twitter account said the navy asked for their location and they gave it to them. They said four navy ships were following the boat - three flanking their vessel on the left and one on the right.
The military tweeted that it had established contact with the boat. "Heading for Gaza. It is illegal to breach naval blockade," the tweet said.
Israel imposed the embargo in 2007 after Hamas militants seized control of Gaza. It says the measure is needed to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas, but critics say the blockade has failed to weaken the militant group and instead has hurt the territory's economy, collectively punishing its 1.6 million people.
AP correspondent Angela Charlton contributed from Paris.
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