GAZA CITY: Israeli warships yesterday prevented a Libyan ship laden with 3,000 tons of humanitarian aid from reaching the Gaza Strip and forced it to turn back, Palestinian and Israeli officials said.
The “Al-Marwa” entered Gaza’s costal waters at 6:20 a.m. but was immediately ordered by the Israeli Navy to turn around, Jamal Al-Khoudari, head of the Popular Committee Against the Siege, said and added that the ship then headed to the nearby Egyptian port of El-Arish.
Al-Khoudari spoke to reporters while waiting with Palestinian fishermen for the Libyan ship to dock. Al-Khoudari, who was in contact with the ship’s crew, said he told the Libyan Minister of Health by telephone of Israel’s denial of permission for the ship to dock. He called on the international community to pressure Israel to allow the ship access to the Gaza port.
It was not clear if Egypt would allow the humanitarian aid to be delivered to Gaza via the Rafah crossing.
Fawzi Barhoum, spokesman for Hamas which rules the strip, urged Egypt to open Rafah and allow international aid to reach Gaza. “We believe that there is no justification to keep the Rafah terminal closed,” Barhoum said.
A high-ranking Libyan government official was quoted in the local press as saying that the ship would return to Libya if it was unable to unload its cargo in Gaza. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said anyone wishing to send humanitarian aid to Gaza is welcome to do so in coordination with Israel and through regular border crossings. “They can also contact Egypt.”
A Qatari aid organization said yesterday it will send a boat with medical supplies to Gaza. Abdallah Naema of the group Qatar Charity said the boat will leave Cyprus Friday.
