"The Australian government has made clear to Israel our expectation that detainees will receive humane treatment in line with international norms." The Israeli foreign ministry had said the flotilla was previously warned that it was approaching an active combat zone and violating a "lawful naval blockade", and asked organisers to change course. SBS News 07:39 EnglishDonald Rothwell — an international law professor from the Australian National University — wrote in a recent article in The Conversation that Israel's claim of the blockade's legality was "contentious". A video from the Israeli foreign ministry also showed Greta Thunberg, Swedish campaigner and one of the most prominent of the activists, sitting on a deck surrounded by soldiers. Source: AAP / Salvatore Laporta / KONTROLAB / ipa-agency.net / Sipa USA Demonstrations also took place in Spain, with protesters gathering outside the country's foreign ministry.