The Israeli navy Thursday intercepted a ship delivering 60 tons of supplies from Lebanon to the Gaza Strip and said it was towing the vessel into an Israeli port. The ship set sail from the Lebanese port of Tripoli Tuesday in a bid to defy Israel's blockade of Gaza. Reporters from Arab TV stations Al-Jadeed and Al-Jazeera who were on the vessel said the Israelis fired at the ship before boarding it and beating those on board. Gunfire could be heard in the background of the telephoned reports aired by their stations. The organizers, an ad hoc group of Lebanese leftist political and human rights activists, said a total of 18 people were on board and the cargo was comprised of medicine, food, toys and basic humanitarian supplies such as mattresses and blankets. Among the passengers was 86-year-old Greek Catholic priest Hillarion Capucci, who while serving as an archbishop in Jerusalem was convicted in 1974 by an Israeli court for using his diplomatic status to smuggle arms to Palestinian fighters. The Syrian-born Capucci was jailed but released three years later at the intervention of the Vatican and deported. The voyage organizers said four journalists, a Muslim cleric and a lawyer – all Lebanese citizens – as well as a Palestinian Muslim cleric and a British activist were also on board. They had no information on the nationality of the nine crew members. The Israeli military said that those on board the ship, the Togolese-flagged “Tali,” would be handed over to Israeli immigration authorities and the aid would be transferred to Gaza by land. “Since they are here illegally, they will be sent to an immigration police facility where they will be questioned,” police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. “After that, depending on what is decided, they will likely be deported.” Hamas officials had said they are ready to commit to a ceasefire with Israel for at least a year in exchange for a full opening of Gaza's borders. Israel wants a complete halt to rocket attacks and weapons smuggling into Gaza. The Tali was the latest in a string of vessels that tried to break the Israeli blockade. Israel has permitted several ships to reach Gaza, but blocked others, including a Libyan freighter.
