Libyan aid mission heading for Gaza

A file photo of the Libyan-organized aid vessel Amalthea


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=134715§ionid=351020202


A Libyan Gaza-bound aid vessel stalled by Israeli navy has resumed its voyage as its organizers deny reports that the ship has shifted its course toward Egypt.

The Moldovan-flagged ship Amalthea carrying 2,000 tons of food aid and medicine to the long-besieged Gaza Strip briefly stopped moving on Wednesday as Israeli gunboats blocked its way.

An Egyptian official said the ship had been diverted to the Egyptian port of al-Arish amid Israeli threats to intercept any aid ship trying to break its years-long siege on Gaza.

"The ship has resumed its journey but the going is difficult," Yussef Sawan, head of the Tripoli-based Gaddafi Foundation, told AFP.

"Israeli naval boats are trying to block its course and divert it from the Gaza coast," he said, adding that the boat was "about three hours from Gaza."

Sawan earlier reported a malfunction in the vessel's engine but blamed the cargo ship's stop on the Israeli navy boats surrounding it.

"Eight Israeli warships are surrounding the Libyan aid ship for Gaza and preventing the continuation of its journey," he said, adding the warships were "threatening" the Amalthea which he said was still pushing it ways toward Gaza.

Sawan dismissed the Egyptian claim that the aid ship was due to arrive in al-Arish port. "The ship is still headed for Gaza and will not change course," he stressed.

The aid mission comes less than two months after Israeli navy commandos attacked the Turkish-organized Gaza Freedom Flotilla on May 31 as the six-vessel civilian fleet was heading for the blockaded Palestinian territory in international waters.

The attack left nine Turkish nationals, including a Turkish-American teenager, killed and wounded some 50 others.

The lethal incident sparked a global outcry against Israel's use of violent force against the civilian convoy and drew mounting calls for an end to Tel Aviv's blockade of the Gaza Strip.