CNN.com
New aid convoy departing Sunday for Gaza
>From the CNN Wire Staff
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
* The Viva Palestina convoy will sail from Syria to Egypt
* From Egypt, the aid will go to Gaza by land
* Among those on board are 40 survivors of the fatal flotilla incident in
May
* They plan to lay flowers at the point where activists died
Jerusalem (CNN) -- A Gaza humanitarian convoy that includes passengers who
survived a previous fatal flotilla incident will set sail Sunday in an attempt
to deliver aid for Palestinians, organizers said.
The Viva Palestina convoy, hailed by organizers as the largest convoy to break
the Gaza embargo, has already traveled 4,828 kilometers (3,000 miles) by road
from England. It is now waiting to depart from the Syrian port of Latakia to
Al-Arish, Egypt.
It has been joined by convoys from Morocco, Algeria, Jordan and Persian Gulf
nations, organizers said Saturday. Two of the ships are slated to pass through
the point at which Israeli troops boarded the Mavi Marmara in May.
Israeli troops used force on the activists, leaving eight Turks and one
U.S.-Turkish dual citizen dead. Israel says its troops were attacked by those
on board, but passengers on the boat insisted they were fired on without
provocation.
Among those on board the Viva Palestina convoy are 40 of the passengers on the
Mavi Marmara. Viva Palestina organizers have planned a commemoration service at
that location and will lay flowers on the water.
The main ship in the Viva Palestina convoy, carrying 380 activists from 42
countries, 147 vehicles and $5 million in medical aid, has been docked at the
Syrian port for the last 12 days. It was given the green light to sail to Egypt
after lengthy mediation with Egyptian and Syrian authorities.
The aid will not go to Gaza by sea. It is due to arrive Monday at the Egyptian
port, from where it will be transferred into the Palestinian territory by land
through the Rafah crossing.
"We are anxious to get to Gaza as soon as possible to deliver the goods and to
show the people of Gaza that we have not abandoned them," said aid convoy
leader Kevin Ovenden.
Israel announced in June that it would loosen its embargo on impoverished Gaza,
allowing more civilian goods and construction materials to flow in while still
banning military equipment and weapons.
Gaza is ruled by Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic movement that is considered a
terrorist organization by the United States, Israel and the European Union.
CNN's Guy Azriel contributed to this report.
Links referenced within this article
Gaza
http://topics.edition.cnn.com/topics/Gaza_Strip
West Bank
http://topics.edition.cnn.com/topics/West_Bank
Israel
http://topics.edition.cnn.com/topics/Israel
Find this article at:
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/10/16/gaza.aid.convoy/index.html?hpt=T2
© 2008 Cable News Network.
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