Aid Ships Head to Gaza Despite Israeli Objection

A convoy of ships carrying construction material and other aid for Palestinians is sailing toward the Gaza Strip, setting up a confrontation with the Israeli military.

Eight ships from Mediterranean ports in Europe and Turkey are heading for Gaza.  The flotilla plans to assemble near Cyprus and sail to Gaza by Saturday.

The cargo and passenger vessels are carrying 10,000 tons of supplies and 700 activists seeking to circumvent an Israeli blockade on the Palestinian territory.

Israel has said it will not allow the aid convoy to reach Gaza.  Israeli army official Colonel Moshe Levi describes the maneuver as a "provocation," because many of the building supplies aboard the ships are already allowed in Gaza, and that the humanitarian situation there is "good and stable."

A recent U.N. report on Gaza, nearly one-and-one-half years after Israel's military offensive there, said three-quarters of the buildings damaged during the fighting still await repairs.

Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza after the Islamist militant group Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007.  The Israeli military has sought to stop militants from receiving materials that can be used to attack Israel.

The military has stopped other vessels carrying aid to Palestinians in the past.  Last June, Israeli authorities intercepted a vessel and briefly detained activists on board, including, former U.S. congresswoman Cynthia McKinney.

The flotilla currently on its way to Gaza was organized by various rights groups including the Turkish organization IHH.

Political ties between Turkey and Israel have been strained since the Gaza Strip offensive.

On Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister called for Israel to lift its blockade on the territory, but emphasized that the aid mission is above all a civilian initiative.