The government of Libya has announced that it is sending a boat to Gaza, hoping to join the growing number of self-proclaimed peace ships intending to break the Israeli embargo on the Hamas-controlled area.

According to reports, the boat has already set sail from the Port of Zuara, carrying 3,000 tons of food, medical supplies and ‘humanitarian aid’, working in conjunction with PA (Palestinian Authority) officials.

This will be the fourth boat in recent weeks on the same mission, but it marks the first time that such an effort is sponsored by a government. Foreign Ministry officials in Jerusalem are monitoring the situation, aware the boat is scheduled to arrive next week. Officials must decide if the government will order the navy to intercept the vessel or permit it to reach Gaza, deliver the goods, and endure the media festival that will surround the arrival of the major shipment of assistance, which will undoubtedly feed the anti-Israel media reports criticizing the blockade of Gaza.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)