A defiant Israel warned on Tuesday that it will prevent all aid ships from reaching besieged Gaza, as activists vowed a new attempt to run the blockade despite the bloody ending to its latest mission.
Pro-Palestinian activists, however, sent another boat to challenge Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip and Egypt declared it was temporarily opening a crossing into the Palestinian territory.
The warning came as Israeli police jailed or deported hundreds of activists arrested after their Gaza-bound vessel was boarded by Israeli commandos in a raid in international waters on Monday in which nine passengers were killed.
The deadly raid, which sparked global outrage, prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel a visit to Washington, where was to hold talks with US President Barack Obama on Tuesday.
“We will not let any ships reach Gaza and supply what has become a terrorist base threatening the heart of Israel,” deputy defence minister Matan Vilnai told public radio.