Palestinian activists Sunday set sail for the Gaza Strip from international waters off the coast of Cyprus, 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 toward Gaza Sunday afternoon after two days of delays. She said they expected to reach Gaza, about 400 km away, Monday afternoon, and that two more ships expected to follow in “a second wave.” She said the flotilla was “fully prepared for the different scenarios” that might arise, and that organizers were hopeful that Israeli authorities would “do what's right” and not stop the convoy. “We fully intend to go to Gaza regardless of any intimidation of threats of violence against us,” she said. “They are going to have to forcefully stop us.” The flotilla, which includes three cargo ships and three passenger ships, is trying to draw attention to Israel's three-year blockade of the Gaza Strip. The boats are carrying materials that Israel bars from reaching Gaza, like cement and other building materials. The activists say they are also carrying hundreds of electrical-powered wheelchairs, prefabricated homes and water purifiers. Some 700 pro-Palestinian activists are also on the boats, including 1976 Nobel peace laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire and European legislators. The mission has experienced repeated delays, both to mechanical problems and a decision by Cyprus to bar any boat from sailing from its shore to Gaza. The ban forced a group of European lawmakers to depart from the breakaway Turkish Cypriot northern part of the island late Saturday. Israel has condemned the flotilla as a provocation and vowed to block it from reaching Gaza. In initial preparations, naval gunships were dispatched Friday to wait for the ships. – AP Other gunships remained in the northern port of Haifa, waiting for the flotilla to get closer before heading out to sea. Israeli military officials say they hope to resolve the situation peacefully but are prepared for all scenarios. Naval commandos have been training for days in anticipation of the standoff. Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said foreigners on the ships would be “sent back to their countries.” Activists who did not willingly agree to be sent back would be detained. A special detention facility has been set up in the southern Israeli city of Ashdod. This is the ninth time that the Free Gaza movement has tried to ship in humanitarian aid to Gaza since August 2008.
