The Israeli naval vessels intercepted today a Libyan ship, loaded with food and medicine assistance to the besieged Gaza Strip. These news and more are coming up. Stay tuned.

The Israeli naval boats intercepted today morning a Libyan ship while on board near the shores of Gaza Strip. The Israeli naval forces turned back the ship , which was supposed to deliver humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza .

Jamal Alkhudari, a Gaza lawmaker and head of the local popular committee to break the Israeli siege on Gaza, decried the Israeli denial of access and called for Arab and Islamic intervention to lift the Gaza blockade.

Also, minister of the Hamas-run social affairs ministry, Ahmad Alkurd, who joined the welcoming crowds and journalists at Gaza's sea port today, echoed the same appeal.

Meanwhile, spokesman of the Israeli foreign ministry, Andy David, was quoted by Israeli media sources as saying that the interception of the ship by the naval forces, came as a part of political pressure against the ruling Hamas party in Gaza.

He said his country had previously allowed three similar ships into Gaza's territorial waters.

In the meantime, the Israeli cabinet approved yesterday the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners from the Israeli jails as a good-will gesture to Palestinian Authority's president , Mahmoud Abbas.

Yesterday night, Israeli military detained six Palestinian residents from the West Bank city of Nablus, as more than 11,500 other prisoners are still held in various Israeli detention facilities in the occupied West Bank and Israel.


Thank you for joining us from occupied Bethlehem. You have been listening to Palestine Today from the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org. This report has been brought to you by Rami Al-Meghari, and Husam Qassis