Israel is threatening to bar international journalists from the country for years if they board ships attempting to breach the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.

On Sunday, Israel's Government Press Office issued a statement calling the flotilla "a dangerous provocation" and an "international violation of Israeli law." It says participation in the flotilla "is liable to lead to participants being denied entry into the state of Israel for 10 years" and to additional sanctions.

Israel imposed the blockade in 2007, after Hamas overran Gaza. Israel eased a land blockade after a deadly Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla last year. The naval blockade remains intact.