Israel Stops Ship Headed For Gaza

In yet another attempt to penetrate Israel's Gaza blockade, a catamaran carrying 10 Jewish activists sailed from Cyprus to the Gaza Strip, only to be stopped by Israel's navy. The activists remained defiant, telling the navy, “We are going to Gaza," but the stand-off was ultimately non-violent. In a statement, the Israeli military said, “No violence of any kind was used by neither the passengers onboard nor the Israel naval forces.” Among the passengers on board was an Israeli 82-year-old Holocaust survivor and a peace activist who lost his daughter in a Palestinian suicide attack. Earlier this year, the Israeli military's violent raid on a flotilla headed for Gaza resulted in the death of nine Turkish activists. The incident heightened tensions in the Middle East and dominated headlines for several weeks.