By Xinhua,
Gaza : A small vessel “Free Gaza” will set sail for Gaza with medical aid from Cyprus on August 5, expecting to be illegally detained by the Israeli navy as it enters Gaza waters, a Palestinian official said Monday.
Jamal al-Khodari, chief of the Palestinian Popular Committee Against Siege told reporters that there will be 60 people aboard Free Gaza vessel, including a survivor of the Palestinian Nakba (Catastrophe).
“Free Gaza vessel will carry members of the Palestinian Diaspora as well as medical aid for Gaza children,” al-Khodari said, adding “in case Israeli naval forces block the vessel to head for Gaza waters, it won’t return.”
He added that the vessel would contain humanitarian aid for Gaza people, and it would be accompanied by another ship carrying mass media men as well as peace activists, physicians and parliamentarians.
After Hamas movement took control of Gaza Strip last summer and routed President Mahmoud Abbas’ security forces, Israel imposed a tight blockade on the enclave, including the border crossings and the sea.
Al-Khodari expected that the Israeli naval forces would stop the two vessels from reaching Gaza shores, adding “even if the ships are blocked, they would remain in the center of the sea for a while.”
However, he added that in case the vessel manages to reach Gaza waters, it will help the Palestinian patients who are unable to leave Gaza for medical treatment due to the blockade.
“Ten huge boats would sail from Gaza to receive the people on the vessel, while hundreds of people would arrive at Gaza beaches to receive the Free Gaza vessel,” said al-Khodari.
The ship was invited by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights and the Gaza Community Mental Health Program.
Support for the initiative was provided in part by the U.S. Carter Center and South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
The waters off Gaza Strip are patrolled by Israeli naval forces who impose a “fishing limit”, which is 11.1 km from the Gaza shore.
Legally, the group says there should be no problem passing the line since Israel formally “disengaged” from the Gaza Strip in 2005 and should no longer control its airspace and territorial waters.