Israeli authorities on Saturday began deporting international activists who tried to break Tel Aviv's illegal blockade of the impoverished Gaza Strip.

The Israeli navy on Friday intercepted a Canadian vessel and an Irish boat carrying 27 activists and medical supplies which had set sail from Turkey toward the Gaza Strip.

An Israeli Immigration Authority spokeswoman said two Greek citizens were flown home on Saturday and two journalists, one American and one Spanish, were to board flights on Sunday, Reuters reported.

One Israeli citizen was released, as was an Egyptian woman who had crossed back to neighboring Egypt overnight, the spokeswoman said. Twenty one other activists were being held in custody in Israel and were awaiting deportation.

The aid flotilla, called Freedom Waves to Gaza, left the Turkish port city of Fethiye on Wednesday afternoon.

The Canadian ship, Tahrir (Freedom), and the Irish ship, Saoirse (Freedom), which are now in international waters, are carrying 27 people, including journalists and crew members, along with 30,000 dollars worth of medicines. 

Israeli blockade on Gaza has caused a severe shortage of medical supplies, according to a World Health Organization's May 2010 resolution, which demanded that Tel Aviv end the siege immediately.

The passengers on the Freedom Waves to Gaza are from Canada, Ireland, Palestine, Egypt, the United States and Australia. They say their international humanitarian mission is “to challenge Israel's ongoing criminal blockade of the territory.” 

On Thursday, the United States warned that the aid flotilla mission was dangerous and urged US citizens not to take part in the mission.

The Israeli military attacked the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in international waters on May 31, 2010, killing nine Turkish activists on board the Mavi Marmara, which was part of the six-ship aid convoy. 

Relations between Turkey and Israel have seriously deteriorated since Israel's assault on the humanitarian mission in the Mediterranean Sea. 

The organizers of the Freedom Waves to Gaza said, in an attempt to prevent Israeli intervention, they had organized their mission secretly. 

Gaza has been blockaded since 2007, a situation which has caused a decline in the standard of living and brought about unprecedented levels of unemployment and poverty. 

Tel Aviv slightly eased the land blockade of Gaza after the May 2010 attack, allowing in more consumer goods. However, the naval siege of the Gaza Strip remains in place, exports are banned, and imports of raw materials and construction materials are restricted.