Egyptian Foreign Ministry's Spokesman Hossam Zaki denied that the Lebanese al-Ikhwa [Brotherhood] boat was seized in the Egyptian territorial waters. Zaki pointed out that the Egyptian authorities, at the request of the Lebanese government, negotiated with the Israeli side to release the ship passengers. Speaking to Al-Jazeera satellite channel yesterday, Zaki said it is unacceptable to say that the ship entered Egyptian territorial waters and the Egyptian navy did not respond. The Egyptian authorities confirmed that the ship had not entered Egyptian territorial waters. These statements are "false". The truth is that when Israel seized the ship and its crew, the Lebanese government, represented by the Prime Minister and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, asked the Egyptian government to intervene with Israel to release the ship, Zaki added. The Lebanese ship passengers, who were detained by the Israeli occupation authorities, arrived yesterday to Nafoura border crossing in southern Lebanon. The ship was carrying food, humanitarian and medical supplies, and toys in a symbolic attempt to break the siege on Gaza. However, the Israeli naval forces denied it access to Gaza. Al-Safir Lebanese newspaper said Egypt played a key role in pressuring the Israeli side to release the ship.
