El Arish, Egypt: A Libyan-chartered ship carrying aid for Palestinians reached the Egyptian port of El Arish on Wednesday after altering its course, following a warning from Israel's navy not to head to the blockaded Gaza Strip.
An Egyptian official said the Moldovan-flagged Amalthea arrived in El Arish, on Egypt's Mediterranean coast about 45 kilometres (27 miles) south of the border with Gaza, mid-evening and began unloading its cargo.
"Medical supplies and passengers will enter Gaza through the Rafah border, while food will enter through the Awja border," said Captain Gamal Abdel Maqsoud, in charge of the port.
He said Egypt's Red Crescent would be responsible for taking the goods over both borders and had trucks waiting in El Arish.
Israel had vowed to turn away or seize the Amalthea, which was renamed ‘Hope’ by activists, rather than allow it access to Gaza, whose Islamist Hamas rulers the Jewish state wants isolated.
Israel was also mindful that they are being closely watched by countries around the globe since their commandos killed nine Turks while boarding another Gaza-bound aid ship in Mediterranean high seas on May 31.
Outcry at the bloodshed aboard the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara prompted Israel to ease overland trade with Gaza. But it kept the sea blockade, citing a risk of arms shipments to Hamas.
Youssef Sawani, Director of a charity chaired by the son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, which chartered the Amalthea, confirmed earlier that it had decided to divert the ship away from Gaza for safety reasons.
"It was unacceptable for us to enter into a confrontation and risk bloodshed" and that the boat would head to El Arish harbour, from which Egypt would allow its cargo to reach Gaza. The aims of Amalthea have been achieved without bloodshed and the result is gains for the Palestinians," Sawani added.
Hamas urged ship to stay on Gaza course
Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh urged the activists not to let their ship be diverted from the territory's shore and called in a speech for more pro-Palestinian "freedom flotillas".
"The sea and land convoys must continue," he said. "We hope we can depend on Islamic nations to help us lift the blockade."
Egypt said on Tuesday that the Amalthea had requested and been granted permission to dock in El Arish, and that authorities planned to transfer its declared haul of 2,000 tonnes of food and medicine overland to neighbouring Gaza.
However, Israel's Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor said the cargo could go through to Gaza. "Anyone who wants to bring materials there which are not dangerous materials- munitions etc, can bring them through El Arish, can bring them through the (Israeli) port of Ashdod," Meridor said on Israel Radio.
The ship appeared to have been held up in international waters the previous night. Israel Radio aired, what it said, was a recording of the Cuban captain, identified as Antonio, informing the navy that his engineers were fixing mechanical problems.
Ayache Derradji, an Al Jazeera reporter on the ship, said it was considering options such as heading for Gaza after entering Egyptian waters, somewhere Israel's navy would not be likely to follow.
Inconsistent accounts prompted an Israeli official to suggest there was disagreement between the Amalthea's hired 12-member crew and some 10 passengers determined to defy the Gaza blockade and flag the plight of the territory's 1.5 million Palestinians, many of them aid-dependent.
