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Israel Seizes Pro-Palestinian Flotilla Vessel

VOA News July 19, 2011

Israeli naval commandos have seized control of a yacht carrying pro-Palestinian activists who were trying to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Military officials say the navy boarded the French vessel on Tuesday after the activists ignored warnings to change their course.

Officials say they encountered no resistance as they transferred the activists on the Dignity al-Karama to a military vessel and began sailing toward the Israeli port of Ashdod.

The yacht was the only vessel remaining from a flotilla that pro-Palestinian activists had hoped to launch from Greece last month. Sixteen activists on the vessel had set sail from Greek waters on Sunday on a mission to deliver aid directly to Gaza.

A similar effort turned deadly last year. Nine Turkish activists were killed after Israeli commandos boarded their Gaza-bound vessel.

Pro-Palestinian activists say the naval blockade of Gaza is an illegal act of punishment against the more than one million Palestinian residents of the impoverished territory.

Israeli officials have vowed to maintain the blockade to prevent arms from reaching Hamas militants who run Gaza.

Israel also says it is meeting the humanitarian needs of Gazans by allowing daily deliveries of aid, fuel and consumer goods across its land border with the territory.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.