Ships sail for Gaza despite blockade

HAIFA, Israel — Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists, including a Nobel laureate and a Holocaust survivor, set sail Sunday for the Gaza Strip, edging closer to an expected naval showdown with Israeli gunships determined to stop them.

Huwaida Arraf, one of the organizers, said the six-ship flotilla began the journey from international waters off the coast of Cyprus in the afternoon after two days of delays. She said they expected to reach Gaza, about 250 miles away, on Monday afternoon, and that two more ships would follow in "a second wave."







Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said that after a security check, permitted humanitarian aid confiscated from the boats will be transferred to Gaza through authorized channels. However, Israel would not transfer items it has banned from Gaza under its blockade rules. Palmor said that, for example, cement would be allowed only if it is tied to a specific project.
