Third peace activist boat set to reach Gaza on September 22

Israel-PalestineGaza - A boat carrying pro-Palestinian peace activists is scheduled to arrive in Gaza later this month, one of the organizers said Thursday.

The boat will arrive in Gaza on September 22, Jamal al-Khodari, head of the Popular Committee to Challenge the [Israeli] Siege, said. The vessel will carry members of the European parliament, doctors and members of the media.

The boat is the third such boat to arrive in Gaza in recent weeks. On August 23, two boats carrying 44 foreign peace activists as well as Palestinians broke the Israeli blockage on Gaza after sailing from Cyprus.

The two boats returned to Cyprus after a few days but left nine activists behind, including the sister-in-law of former British prime minister Tony Blair, Lauren Booth.

Egypt and Israel refused on Wednesday to allow Booth, the other eight foreign activists and several Palestinian patients to cross their borders with the Gaza Strip.

Israel has blocked access to the Gaza Strip since the militant Hamas group took power there in June last year. (dpa)