Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists on 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, accordin to AP. Huwaida Arraf, one of the organizers, said the six-ship flotilla began the journey toward Gaza on Sunday afternoon after two days of delays. She said they expected to reach Gaza, about 250 miles (400 kilometers) away, on 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, European legislators and an elderly Holocaust survivor. 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. -- SPA
