Flotilla ship set to export goods from Gaza attacked, organizers say
Explosion causes boat to sink before mission to export produce to Europe via sea for the first time since Oslo Accords.
By JPOST.COM STAFFGaza's Ark(photo credit: GAZAARK.ORG)
A ship that was part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition was attacked on Tuesday morning in Gaza, a statement from the movement said.The group said that a guard watching over the boat, called Gaza’s Ark, received a call, warning him that an attack on the ship was imminent.Immediately afterward the ship exploded, causing it to sink.The boat, which intended to set sail from Gaza in protest of Israel’s blockade of the coastal strip, was severely damaged.“The extent and nature of the damage are currently being investigated,” said Mahfouz Kabariti, the Gaza’s Ark’s project manager.The attack on the vessel is not a first, said Ehab Latoyef, a member of the Gaza’s Ark steering committee.“Freedom Flotilla boats have been sabotaged before. This attack comes as we were almost ready to sail. You can sink a boat but you can’t sink a movement,” he wrote in a statement.The ship intended to sail from Gaza, carrying produce to Europe, Palestinian News Agency Ma’an reported.If the activists succeeded in their mission, it would be the first time since 1994 that goods from Gaza had been exported by sea.
