(Communicated by the IDF Spokesperson)
On Thursday morning, February 5, 2009, an Israel Navy force intercepted, boarded, and took control of the cargo boat named "Tali" which was bearing the flag of Togo and was illegally attempting to enter the Gaza Strip.
The cargo boat sailed from the Tripoli port in Lebanon a few days ago, docking in Cyprus before continuing its journey to the Gaza Strip. While at sea, the cargo boat was contacted by Israel, clarifying that it will not be permitted to enter Gaza because of security risks in the area and the existing naval blockade.
The naval blockade off the coast of the Gaza Strip has been in force since January 3, 2009 due to the fighting in Gaza. A Notice to Mariners to this effect was sent to relevant international bodies.
Starting yesterday evening, the Israel Navy has been making direct contact with the boat and continued to clarify that the ship will not be permitted to enter the Gaza Strip's coastal waters. The boat crew stated their intentions of changing their destination to the port in El-Arish, Egypt.
During the morning hours today, the cargo ship changed its bearing, and began heading towards the Gaza Strip, contrary to the claims made by the boat crew last evening.
Disregarding all warnings, the cargo boat approached the Gaza shores. The actions of the boat crew raised suspicion, as it could threaten security concerns, or furthermore, the boat could be used for smuggling banned equipment (weaponry, etc.) in to or out of the Gaza Strip.
As a result of the actions taken by the boat crew, an Israel Navy force intercepted, boarded, and took control of the cargo boat, directing it towards Ashdod, Israel. No gunshots were fired on board during the boarding and capturing of the cargo boat. The boat crew will be taken for questioning by the Israeli Police, and any humanitarian goods found on the boat will be transferred to the Gaza Strip.
The IDF Spokesperson Unit would like to emphasize that any organization or country that wishes to transfer humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, can do so via the established crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip with prior coordination.
The true "public relations" motivation of the ship's voyage can be discerned by the fact that not only were a number of journalists invited to join, but also on board was Hilarion Cappuci - a former Greek Catholic bishop who was caught in 1974 smuggling weapons bound for Palestinian terrorists in the trunk of his official church vehicle while entering Israel from Lebanon.
Another indication of the ship's ulterior motivation was the fact that after the ship's inteception, it was discovered that besides 1,000 units of donated blood in the ship's refigerator, the expansive cargo carried very little humanitarian aid (a few dozen cartons and some mineral water - see photo and video). The 1,000 units of blood that were were transferred to Gaza on Friday morning (6 February) via the Erez Crossing on a refrigerated truck provided by Magen David Adom. Transfer of the rest of the ship's minimal humanitarian aid will be coordinated with the international organizations operating in the Gaza Strip.