Israeli demonstrators on Saturday reportedly attempted to block the delivery of aid to the besieged Gaza Strip from the Turkish cargo ship Lady Leila, which docked at Israel’s Ashdod port earlier that morning. According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the families of Israeli soldiers whose slain bodies are being held by Hamas or who are believed to be missing inside the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, staged a protest at the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the blockaded territory, aiming to prevent the aid from passing through. An Israeli police spokesperson could not immediately be reached to confirm reports that demonstrators had attempted to block the aid. The shipment, which contained some 11,000 tons of supplies, including 10,000 toys and 10,000 packages of food, embarked from Turkey’s southern port of Mersin on Friday. Turkey’s humanitarian aid delivery followed an agreement made with Israel on Sunday to normalize diplomatic relations between the two nations, ending a six-year st...

Seven rockets were fired at southern Israel on Saturday, exploding in Ashdod, Gan Yavne, and west of Be'er Sheva, lightly wounding one man and hitting a residential building in Ashdod. The rocket barrage followed an IDF strike on the Gaza Strip which resulted in the deaths of five Islamic Jihad militants. One rocket exploded in Gan Yavne, lightly wounding a 40-year-old man who sustained shrapnel wounds to his legs. Several trauma victims were also reported. Two rockets exploded in Ashdod, one hitting a school but caused no casualties. A short time later, a mortar shell landed in an open area in the Eshkol Regional Council, causing no casualties or damage. After several hours, a fourth rocket exploded in an open area west of Be'er Sheva, and no casualties were reported. An alarm sounded throughout Ashdod prior to the explosions, just hours after Israel Defense Forces soldiers killed a commander of the Palestinian faction and four of its munitions experts. more

JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Israel's security cabinet was to convene on Monday for a second day of discussions on how to stave off an international flotilla intending to breach the naval blockade of Gaza, local media said. On Sunday, ministers in the forum were told of the military's preparations for the 10-ship convoy which is expected to set sail from Greece later this week. "Yesterday, the ministers decided not to allow the ships to anchor in the Gaza Strip, although they will be allowed to unload their cargo at [the Israeli port] of Ashdod or the Egyptian port of El-Arish," Israeli army radio said. "If no weapons or ammunition are found, the cargo will be transferred in its entirety to Gaza." Public radio said Cairo had already agreed to allow the ships to dock at El-Arish, a Mediterranean port which lies some 50 kilometers west of Egypt's border with Gaza. more