Organisers of the Gaza flotilla said they lost contact with the Gaza-bound MV Rachel Corrie on Friday just as they are seeking to delay the latest bid to bust the embargo with an aid-laden ship.

"The situation is we lost all contact with the boat. We assume this was sabotage by the Israelis," said Audrey Bomse of the Free Gaza Movement.

The aid-laden cargo ship carrying Irish and Malaysian activists had set course for a Saturday arrival in Gaza despite warnings by Israel which deployed commandos to halt another six boats on Monday in a botched operation that left nine activists dead.

"As a result of these threats, we're going to pull Rachel Corrie into a port, add more high-profile people on board, and insist that journalists from around the world also come with us," Bomse said.

But organisers said they couldn't communicate the decision to those aboard the vessel, who include an Irish Nobel peace laureate.

"We're hoping communications get turned back on so we can inform them of the decision," Bomse told AFP .

On Thursday afternoon, organisers said the Rachel Corrie was about 250 miles (400 kilometres) from the spot in international waters where six boats were boarded in Monday's raid by Israeli commandos.

- AFP

Israel bars Gaza-bound aid ship Rachel Corrie