Aid boat arrives in Gaza Strip

GAZA: A Qatari boat carrying humanitarian aid docked in the Gaza Strip yesterday after sailing from Cyprus despite an Israeli naval blockade of the Hamas-controlled territory.
Fifteen international activists, including two from a Qatari charity, left the port of Larnaca on Friday, coinciding with the end of a six-month-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the enclave.
It was the fifth such voyage by the US-based ‘Free Gaza’ movement since it launched shuttles from Cyprus last August.
Israel patrols the coastal waters around Gaza, but has not obstructed Free Gaza activists from sailing to the enclave.
But earlier this month the Jewish state prevented a Libyan ship from delivering humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip and foiled an attempt by Israeli Arabs to set off in a boat from Israel to the territory.
The Dignity boat was allowed in after having been stopped at sea and searched.
“Israeli security intercepted our boat at sea. It carried out an identity check, searched the boat and allowed us to continue our voyage towards Gaza,” said Aed Qahtany, from a Qatari group.
The cargo consisted of baby milk and a tonne of medicines, according to Amjad al-Shawa, co-ordinator of the campaign.
“The whole Qatari population and its government stand alongside the Palestinian people and particularly alongside Palestinians who are subject to the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip,” Qahtany said.
Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) member Jamal al-Khudari said the delegation of the Qatari ship would inspect the health, educational and agricultural sectors in the Gaza strip to get acquainted with the real situation here to convey a true and clearcut image of what is going on in the Gaza Strip to the entire world.
He added that more such ships would follow, such as a Lebanese vessel and a European parliamentarians’ ship, which is due to arrive early next month.
Meawhile, GCC Secretary General HE Abdulrahman bin Hamad al-Attiyah has praised HH the Emir, government and people of Qatar for the implementation of Qatar People Initiative which broke the Israeli siege on Gaza by the arrival of the Al-Karama (Dignity) boat in Gaza. - Agencies