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Ship Originally Bound for Gaza Docks in Egypt

16 July 2010 03:48 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A Libyan ship that tried to break Israelâ€™s blockade of Gaza docked in the Egyptian port of El Arish on Thursday afternoon, amid claims by the shipâ€™s sponsor, Saif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, that the boat agreed not to go to Gaza after a deal was struck with the Israeli government that would allow Libya to send building and reconstruction supplies to the Palestinians, APA reports quoting The New York Times.
In an interview with an Arabic newspaper, Al Sharq Al Awsat, Mr. Qaddafi, the son of Libyaâ€™s leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, said that the Israelis â€œagreed to let Libya spend $50 millionâ€ through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.
The money, he said, would be used â€œto support the Palestinians and for reconstruction, including allowing construction materials and prefabricated homes,â€ and said the aid would be dispersed â€œwithout any intervention or problem.â€ A spokesman for the United Nations agency did not immediately comment.
According to the port director in El Arish the ship, the Amalthea, docked at about 1 p.m. and was expected to immediately begin unloading more than 1,500 tons of food and medical supplies.