Athens, Greece - A vessel organized by an international activist coalition to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza has rescued several migrants from the sea near Crete, a support group in Greece said on Friday.

The Madleen, launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, said it had received a distress signal from a boat in the Mediterranean, forcing it to change course off the coast of Crete.

The Madleen has "a 12-member crew of peaceful activists" headed for Gaza "with the aim of breaking the blockade of Palestine by the state of Israel", the March to Gaza Greece group said.

"Upon arrival (at the scene), it discovered that the boat was sinking with approximately 30-35 people aboard."

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At that point, the Madleen was approached by a ship that initially identified itself as Egyptian.

"The activists aboard the Madleen quickly realised that this was a false identification and that the ship was, in fact, a Libyan coastguard vessel," they said.

"Libya is not considered a safe country, and for this reason, some of the refugees jumped into the sea to avoid being returned there. The Madleen rescued four Sudanese individuals who had jumped into the water and brought them aboard."

After several hours of calls for assistance, a Frontex vessel eventually picked up the rescued individuals, the group said, referring to the European Union's border and coastguard agency.

The Madleen sailed from Sicily on Sunday. Those on board include climate activist Greta Thunberg.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, launched in 2010, is a non-violent international movement supporting Palestinians. It combines humanitarian aid with political protest against the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

Israel has come under increasing international criticism over the critical humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory.

It blocked all aid into Gaza on March 2, and the United Nations warned on May 30 that the entire population of more than two million was at risk of famine.