CAIRO - Egypt has agreed to a request by a Libyan ship carrying aid for Gaza to dock in the port of El Arish after the Israeli navy said it would not allow the vessel to proceed to the coastal enclave, Egypt's official Middle East News Agencyr (MENA) reported Wednesday. "The aid ship, which was attempting to breach an Israeli embargo of the Palestinian territory, is expected to reach El Arish later Wednesday," MENA quoted an unnamed security official. The Libyan ship is carrying 2,000 tons of food and medicine and is sponsored by the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation, which is run by a son of the Libyan leader Muammar Al-Qaddafi. "The Egyptian Red Crescent and other authorities are preparing to receive the ship," MENA said. The attempt to breach the blockade comes after nine pro- Palestinian activists from Turkey were killed on May 31 after Israeli commandos raided one of six aid ships in a flotilla trying to breach the embargo. Israel loosened its restrictions on the transport of goods by road into Gaza in response to international criticism of the operation, though it maintains a naval blockade of the area.
