From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Gaza flotilla approaching coast — organizers
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleThe Zaytouna-Oliva boat to Gaza is some 60 nautical miles off the coast of the Palestinian enclave, a Twitter account tracking the female flotilla’s progress says.
#WomenToGaza now 60 nautical miles from the coast of #Gaza
No occupation forces in sight
To Gaza with <3, here we come ! pic.twitter.com/ftPTeM59OZ— Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@GazaFFlotilla) October 5, 2016
Organizers earlier said they hoped to reach Gaza sometime Wednesday, but feared the army would try to stop them when they were about 100 nautical kilometers from the Strip.
“The Zaytouna-Oliva has passed the fatal line of 100 miles and everything is going well,” Claude Leostic, spokeswoman for the activists, told AFP by telephone earlier in the day.
A Palestinian activist on Twitter reports that an Israeli navy gunboat fired warning shots in the air as the ship approached, but the army refuses to confirm this.
#Breaking Israeli pirates surrounding Olivia boat and firing some shots in the air.
— Hani Siliman Salamah ???????? (@HaniSiliman) October 5, 2016
Israeli media, quoting unnamed officials, has reported in recent days that the navy will intercept the boat, carrying 15 female activists, and escort it to the Israeli port of Ashdod to prevent it from reaching Gaza.
The Times of Israel Community.