Quds (JERUSALEM), June 05, 2010, SPA -- Israeli forces seized a Gaza-bound aid vessel swiftly and without meeting resistance on Saturday, the Associated Press reported. The 1,200-ton Rachel Corrie, which was carrying 11 pro-Palestinian activists, nine crew and hundreds of tons of aid, was intercepted in international waters, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) from Gaza's shore and was being escorted to the nearby Israeli port of Ashdod, the military said. Communications to the Rachel Corrie had been cut earlier in the day, so satellite phones weren't operating during the takeover and activists weren't reachable. Greta Berlin, a spokeswoman for the Free Gaza group that organized the trip, described the takeover as «another outrage to add to the nine murdered» and denied Israeli claims that troops had been invited aboard. Berlin spoke from the group's office in Cyprus. The Rachel Corrie, whose passenger list included Nobel peace laureate Mairead Corrigan, had hoped to breach a 3-year-old blockade that has plunged Gaza's 1.5 million residents deeper into poverty. But activists on board the Irish boat had insisted they would not resist if Israeli soldiers tried to take over their vessel.
