In a statement, the organization said it was contacted on Thursday afternoon by the Guinea-Bissau International Ship Registry requesting an inspection of the lead ship in the flotilla.

"This was a very unusual request, as our ship had already passed all required inspections. However, we agreed," the coalition's statement reads.

On Friday afternoon, the statement continues, "before the inspection was completed, the Guinea-Bissau International Ship Registry (GBISR), in a clearly political move, informed the Freedom Flotilla Coalition that it had withdrawn the Guinea-Bissau flag from two of the Freedom Flotilla vessels," one of which is the cargo ship carrying more than 5,000 tons of "vital aid" for the Palestinians of Gaza.

"Without a flag we cannot sail. But this is not the end. Israel cannot and will not crush our determination to break their illegal siege and reach the people of Gaza. The people of Gaza and all of Palestine stand firm under the most horrific and unimaginable conditions. We draw strength from their incredible and inexplicable ability to maintain their humanity, dignity and hope when the world has given them no reason to do so," the coalition said.

The Freedom Flotilla accuses the GBISR of making "a series of extraordinary requests for information, including confirmation of the ships' destinations, any additional ports of call, the port of discharge for the humanitarian aid, and the estimated dates and times of arrival."

"This is, again, highly unusual behaviour on the part of a registry authority. Normally, national registry authorities are only concerned with the safety standards and the like of the vessels flying their flag, and do not concern themselves with the destination, route, cargo manifests or nature of a particular voyage."

And it accuses: "Guinea-Bissau has, unfortunately, allowed itself to become complicit in Israel's deliberate starvation, illegal siege and genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza."

On Friday, United Nations rapporteurs today called for the safe passage of the "Freedom Flotilla", allowing it to dock in the Palestinian enclave.

"The 'Freedom Flotilla' has the right to free passage in international waters and Israel must not interfere with its freedom of navigation, long recognized by international law. As the 'Freedom Flotilla' approaches Palestinian territorial waters off Gaza, it is essential that Israel respect international law, including the recent orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to ensure unimpeded access for humanitarian assistance," they stressed in a statement.

The experts say they are "particularly concerned about the safety of the participants", given "Israel's repeated attacks on UN humanitarian missions and civilians".

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