Turkish aid ship departs for Gaza

By Anil Bagrik and Mustafa Gungor

MERSIN, Turkey (AA) - A Turkish aid ship carrying 11,000 tons of supplies for the Gaza Strip left the southern port of Mersin Friday afternoon.

The Lady Leyla sailed south for the Israeli port of Ashdod carrying 2,000 tons of rice, 5 tons of flour, 10,000 food packages, sugar and 10,000 toys from the Turkish Grain Board and the Turkish Red Crescent.

The Panamanian-flagged vessel is expected to dock within 30 hours.

The humanitarian mission departed Turkey following this week’s reconciliation deal between Ankara and Tel Aviv to end a six-year freeze in relations.

“The supplies aboard this ship are a sort of present from the Turkish people to their brothers and sisters in Gaza ahead of the upcoming Eid al-Fitr,” Development Minister Lutfi Elvan said in Mersin. “They are a present from our children to Gazan children.”

Eid al-Fitr is the festival marking the end of Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak, Mersin Governor Ozdemir Cakacak and Palestinian Ambassador Faed Mustafa were also present at a ceremony to mark the ship’s departure.

Diplomatic ties between Turkey and Israel were suspended after Israeli troops stormed a Gaza-bound aid ship, the Mavi Marmara, in international waters in May 2010 and killed 10 Turkish activists.

The Mavi Marmara was among six civilian vessels of an international humanitarian aid convoy trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza when Israeli commandos boarded it.

In the aftermath of the attack, Turkey demanded a formal apology from Israel, compensation for the families of those killed and the lifting of Israel’s Gaza blockade.

In 2013, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced regret for the attack and this week months of talks bore fruit. Under the reconciliation deal, Israel agreed to Turkish humanitarian projects in Gaza as well as the payment of $20 million in compensation to the families of the Mavi Marmara victims.