Israel Faces Gaza Standoff as Libyan Ship Challenges Blockade
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Israel faced a renewed standoff over its naval blockade of the Gaza Strip after the organizers of a Libyan aid ship that’s currently near the Gaza coast said they plan to ignore the embargo and land there.
The Libyan ship, carrying 2,000 tons of food and medicine, is being tailed by eight Israeli navy vessels, al-Jazeera television, which has a correspondent aboard, reported. It said the ship is moving toward Gaza, though it’s been slowed by an engine malfunction. Youssef Sawani, head of the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation that sponsored the delivery, said in a phone interview last night that the ship is “still going to Gaza” and that “Israel has no right to order it not to.”