VARIOUS: Palestinian boats set sail from Gaza to meet with international aid ships

Record ID: 396549

  • Title: VARIOUS: Palestinian boats set sail from Gaza to meet with international aid ships
  • Date: 31st May 2010
  • Summary: GAZA CITY, GAZA (MAY 30, 2010) (REUTERS) WIDE OF MEDITERRANEAN SEA VARIOUS OF BOATS IN THE PORT GATHERING IN ORDER MEET THE FREEDOM FLOTILLA CLOSE OF BOAT HANGED ON IT BANNER READING IN ARABIC "BREAK THE SIEGE" VARIOUS OF BOATS WITH PALESTINIAN AND TURKISH FLAGS IN THE PORT CLOSE OF PALESTINIAN AND TURKISH FLAGS PEOPLE GETTING ON THE BOAT CLOSE OF BALLOONS (SOUNDB
  • Embargoed: 15th June 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations,Social Services / Welfare
  • Reuters ID: LVA82NXXXMV0LIO64316X9YJO54Q
  • Story Text: Palestinian boats set sail on Sunday (May 30) from the Gaza City port in the hopes of meeting at sea with a Turkish-led convoy of ships carrying humanitarian aid to the coastal strip.
    Max Isle, a U.S. citizen on board one of the boats, said he hoped to break through an Israeli-LED blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip.
    "We say that this is a ground breaking effort and human solidarity that they are bringing in several hundred people and huge cargo ships. And they are challenging illegal and immoral blockade, and this is amazing that all the governments of the world maybe against them but all the people of the world support their efforts so strongly," he added.
    Israel and Egypt closed their borders with Gaza after the Hamas Islamist group, which refuses to recognise and renounce violence against the Jewish state, took control of the territory in 2007.
    Gaza's 1.5 million people say they face shortages of water, medicine and building supplies.
    Israeli officials have said if the ships did not turn back after being given fair warning, They would be boarded by Israeli forces and taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where the passengers and crew will be sent home and the goods transferred to Gaza by land after security searches.
    "Unfortunately these people have rejected our proposal to transfer the humanitarian aid to the Gaza strip. They have exposed themselves their real agenda is not tell help the people of Gaza, they want to support the authoritarian Hamas regime; they on a daily bases violate the human rights of the people of Gaza strip," Israeli Prime Minister spokesman Mark Regev told Reuters Television in Jerusalem.
    A six-ship convoy carrying 10,000 tonnes of aid for Palestinians set sail for Gaza on Sunday after meeting in international waters. Earlier, Cyprus prevented the ships from entering its waters and stopped activists from joining the convoy.
    The convoy, organised by the Istanbul-based Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH), includes vessels from Britain, Greece, Algeria, Kuwait, Malaysia and Ireland.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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