FAMAGUSTA, Cyprus, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- A boat of Jewish activists sailed from Cyprus Sunday to defy the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, organizers said.
The 32-foot catamaran, called the Irene, is carrying medical equipment, textbooks, fishing nets and children's toys, the mission's organizers told the British Broadcasting Corp.
The activists -- from Israel, the United States, Germany and Britain -- say they will not resist if Israel tries to stop them. Earlier this year, Israeli commandos killed nine people aboard a Turkish ship trying to reach Gaza.
Richard Kuper of Jews for Justice for Palestinians said, "This is a non-violent action. We aim to reach Gaza, but our activists will not engage in any physical confrontation and will therefore not present the Israelis with any reason or excuse to use physical force or assault them."
Among those aboard are an 82-year-old Holocaust survivor, Reuven Moskovitz, and Rami Elhanan, 60, an Israeli whose daughter, Smadar, died in a suicide bombing in 1997.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Andy David countered, "If they were serious about wanting to transfer aid to Gaza, they could easily do so after undergoing a screening for smuggled weaponry."
