Israel Massacre
Israeli soldiers have boarded an aid ship bound for the Gaza Strip and forced it to head to the Israeli port of Ashdod instead. The Israeli military said in a statement that troops boarded MV Rachel Corrie on Saturday after activists aboard the ship ignored warnings to divert to Ashdod.
“There was no violence or injuries amongst the soldiers or crew … and no shots were fired,” the statement said.
Jacky Rowland, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in the Israeli port of Ashdod, said the ship had arrived at the port, escorted all the way by Israeli military vessels.
“The aid will be taken off and inspected,” Rowland said. “It is not clear how much of it will be taken to Gaza. We can expect the passengers to be deported fairly promptly.”
Activists on board the Malaysia-funded Irish ship were attempting to break the siege of Gaza imposed by Israel, five days after Israeli troops violently intercepted a flotilla of aid ships carrying humanitarian aid for the territory, killing nine activists.
Israeli naval vessels trailed the ship for several hours before boarding it. Rachel Corrie’s radar were also jammed, cutting off all radio communication.
