Six South African activists who were detained by Israel while attempting to reach Gaza as part of an aid flotilla claim that they were subjected to harsher treatment than others.

Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El Sisi also said Wednesday that the messages he had received out of the talks in Sharm el-Sheikh were "very encouraging."

Three women from Newfoundland are believed to be among those detained by Israeli forces on Wednesday, part of a flotilla that had sailed toward Gaza in an attempt to break Israel's naval blockade and deliver aid to the region.

Meanwhile indirect talks between Israel and Hamas aimed at securing a deal to end the war in Gaza are continuing in Egypt.

Officials at Temple Israel in Minneapolis are investigating after they discovered someone spray-painted anti-Semitic graffiti on the building early Wednesday morning.