Gaza/Tel Aviv – Israel warned Tuesday that it would block a fleet of nine ships carrying some 700 international pro-Palestinian activists and supplies from reaching the Gaza Strip later this week.
The Freedom Flotilla, organised by the group Free Gaza, is the largest of its kind since Israel and Egypt began their blockade of the Gaza Strip in reaction to the 2007 takeover of the salient’s operation by the Islamist Hamas party.
The blockade has been the source of much international condemnation. Israel argues it is necessary to keep violent elements in the Gaza Strip from rearming themselves with the tools to shoot rockets into Israel.
But the organisers of this year’s protest say they are trying to bring humanitarian goods to the Gaza Strip. Israeli authorities have urged them to bring their goods to the salient via a pre-approved border crossing. Organisers have said no such offer has been made.
Israeli media reported authorities saying the ships – which are sailing from diverse ports in Ireland, Greece and Turkey and are expected on Thursday – would be boarded before they could reach Gaza. Any activists on board would be arrested.
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Of course the humanitarian situation in Gaza is hard, unfortunately. But there are many places on our planet, where it is even worse and nobody cares about the people there. So why so much focus on Gaza?
Most likely the humanitarian aid, as it happened in the past, will be stolen by Hamas members and distributed between its supporters.
In order to end the humanitarian crisis, first of all the military conflict should be resolved, Legitimation of Hamas regime makes this resolution harder to reach.
P.S
Video that worths thousand words:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXhcmQmOuds