13:09, 30-May-2018
Israel-Gaza Tensions: Israeli naval forces intercept Palestinian flotilla
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Israeli naval forces have intercepted a Palestinian flotilla which was launched from Gaza to protest Israel's blockade of the coastal enclave. The move could raise tensions following a barrage of mortars earlier in the day fired into Israel from Gazan resistance fighters. More from our correspondent in Gaza, Noor Harazeen.
A Palestinian boat accompanied by a group of smaller vessels embarked from Gaza on Tuesday, in a bid to break the more than decade-long Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip.
The boats carried a group of about 18 people, including protesters wounded in recent demonstrations along the Gaza border with Israel, among them students and patients with cancer.
RAED DEEB WOUNDED PALESTINIAN "I participated to be able to travel and get a good medical treatment. I just want to live a normal life. Here in Gaza, we don't have many medical supplies or medicine. We live in a very big prison."
The main boat reportedly sailed past the maritime blockade reaching 12 nautical miles on its way to Europe, however, it was intercepted by Israeli naval forces which fired warning shots. The passengers were arrested and taken to Israel's Ashdod naval base. They will returned to Gaza. Noor Harazeen, CGTN, Gaza.