Israelis seize aid ship to Gaza

JERUSALEM, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- The Israeli military confirmed Thursday that its navy had seized a Lebanese ship carrying aid to the Gaza Strip.

The ship was redirected to the Israeli port of Ashdod, Haaretz reported.

The army said that the crew of the ship would be detained for questioning by Israel police and that humanitarian goods found on board would be transferred to the Gaza Strip.

Military sources said nine people were aboard including Monsignor Hilarion Capucci, the Greek-Catholic leader of Jerusalem. He made headlines in 1974 when he was arrested after he was allegedly smuggling weapons from Lebanon to Palestinian activists.

The navy said the ship was intercepted after its crew disregarded warnings to steer clear of Gazan coastal waters, Haaretz said.

Officials denied reports that troops had fired shots at the crew or the vessel during the operation. An Al-Jazeera correspondent on the ship said during the incident that Israeli forces had assaulted those on board.