UPDATE - Gaza-bound aid ship approaches blockaded Gaza Strip

ADDS STATE DEPT. REACTION

By Anees Barghouti

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – The all-female "Zaytouna-Oliva" aid vessel is expected to reach the shores of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday in hopes of breaking Israel’s almost decade-long blockade of the Palestinian enclave.

If it is not intercepted -- or attacked -- by the Israeli navy, the aid ship is due to arrive in Gaza on Wednesday evening with 13 female activists on board.

The State Department said the U.S. underscores the need for international support for Gaza and its recovery, but there were other ways to get assistance that are accepted and authorized by the Israeli government.

"In this particular case, we would hope that the boat operators heed the instructions of Israeli authorities in order to best ensure the safety and security of the people onboard the boat," agency spokesman Mark Toner told reporters.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the organizer of the initiative, has called on activists around the world to launch a solidarity campaign via social media in the event of an Israeli assault.

On Sunday, the Israeli navy received instructions to intercept the boat and arrest everyone on board, Israeli daily Maariv has reported.

In line with the instructions, the newspaper added, the boat is to be towed to Israel’s Ashdod seaport and the activists deported to their home countries after signing pledges to never return.

In June of last year, Israeli forces intercepted the "Marianne" -- which had been taking part in a similar initiative -- and arrested all activists on board.

A similar Gaza-bound aid flotilla ended in tragedy in 2010 when the Turkish "Mavi Marmara" aid ship was raided by Israeli commandos, who killed 10 Turkish activists.

Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has groaned under a crippling Israeli/Egyptian blockade that has deprived its almost two million inhabitants of most basic commodities, including food, fuel, medicine and desperately-needed building materials.