Minutes before Sarah Willing watched her partner's abduction, she had woken up to his text message saying he loved her.
Zack Schofield was one of six Australians intercepted by the Israeli Defence Force in international waters while attempting to deliver aid to Gaza.
The Newcastle man was on one of the Global Sumud Flotilla's vessels, about 1000km from Israel's coastline, when the ship was boarded.
In a video posted to social media, he said his boat's radio communications were being jammed as warships, boats and drones flanked the vessel.
The clip of Mr Schofield in the dark, lit only by a red light source was one of the first things his parents and his partner saw when they woke up on Thursday.
"I got a text message telling me that he was OK and that he loved me," Ms Willing said through tears.
"And then 15 minutes later, I saw a video of him being abducted.
"How would you feel if that was your partner?"
A total of 17 Australians were known to be volunteering on the flotilla, but it is unclear how many are still en route to Gaza.
Bianca Webb-Pullman, Ethan Floyd, Neve O'Connor, Surya McEwan and Cameron Tribe were also confirmed to have been on intercepted ships.
"These humanitarians are the best of humanity, and they are being stopped and intercepted by the worst of humanity," Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi told reporters.
The IDF's bombardment and starvation of Gaza has killed more than 72,000 people and destroyed the territory's infrastructure, leaving just four per cent of its cropland undamaged and accessible, according to the UN World Food Program.
Israel's Foreign Ministry has dismissed the flotilla as a "PR stunt".
"The driving force behind the flotilla provocation is Hamas - joining hands with professional provocateurs," it wrote in a post on social media platform X.
Previous Australian participants in the Global Sumud Flotilla have accused Israel of physical abuse, threats of sexual violence and other abuse after they were intercepted.
Mr Schofield's mother, Joanne Jaworowski, said she was furious at the federal government.
"This is very, very frightening because Zack and the other humanitarian aid volunteers are in the hands of people who had no right to detain them," she said.
She called on the government to condemn Israel's actions as a breach on international law, ensure safe passage for its citizens, and extend diplomatic protection to all Australians in the flotilla.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is seeking an update from Israeli authorities on the status of those involved in the flotilla.
It has urged Australians not to join others attempting to break Israel's naval blockade due to risk of injury, death, arrest or deportation.
