Yemen Islamic Activists Collect Donations To Send Ships To Gaza

Tuesday June 29, 2010 19:14 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Several Islamist activists in Yemen launched a campaign to collect donations in order to prepare a Yemeni Flotilla that would sail to Gaza to deliver humanitarian supplies.

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Legislator, Mohammad al-Hazmi, member of the opposition Yemen Coalition Party for Reform, said that he was one of four activists who were kidnapped by the Israeli Navy after attacking the Turkish ship, one of many ships that were heading to Gaza.

He added that the new campaign aims at preparing four ships filled with supplies and essential aid to the residents of the besieged Gaza Strip.

Al-Hazmi stated that the campaign will open a bank account under the name of the Popular Committee For Palestine Solidarity in order to collect donations for the flotilla.

The ships will sail from Yemen to a port either in Europe or in Turkey in order to sail to Gaza in mid July.

Last week, Iran retracted its intention to send aid ships to the Gaza Strip and stated that Israel’s illegal siege on the coastal region and its illegal measures are the cause for sending solidarity ship. Yet, an Iranian official stated that aid will be sent to Gaza through other means.

Hussein Sheikh al-Islam, the secretary-general of the International Conference For Supporting The Palestinian Intifada, stated that the ships were supposed to sail to Gaza Thursday and were delayed until Sunday, “but now, due to Israeli restrictions, the ships will not be sailing, but we will send aid through other means”.

The Iranian News Agency reported that Sheikh al-Islam said that Israel is using this issue, and the attempts to break the siege, as a means to gain political support, adding that Iran does not want to grant Israel any chance to market its policies.

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