Viva Palestina 5 humanitarian flotilla sailed, on Wednesday at dawn ,from the Lathiqiyya Syrian Port, headed for the Al Arish Egyptian port. The flotilla is on its way to the besieged Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian aid that includes medical supplies and vehicles. Thirty peace activists accompany the convoy.Zaher Be’erawi, Flotilla spokesperson, said that the owner of the ship tried to “blackmail the activists” by demanding more money. He said, “it is likely that external factors pressured the owner of the ship into this.”
Be’erawi added that the rest of the activists will be flying to Egypt on Wednesday and will land at al-Arish Airport.
The Palestine Information Center reported that a number of Jordanian activists on board the ship are not being allowed into Egypt. They had been previously deported from Egypt and had recently contacted the Jordanian Ambassador in Cairo and the Jordanian Information Minister to intervene on their behalf and to allow them to reach Gaza via Egypt.