London-based activists, including two survivors of deadly Israeli raid on a flotilla on May 31, have organized biggest international aid convoy to Gaza scheduled to Saturday.
Two other convoys were being organized at the same time from Casablanca, Morocco, and Doha, Qatar, his group said.
Two survivors of the Mavi Marmara massacre, Nicci Enchmarch and Kevin Ovenden, are among the activists taking part, aiming to break the Israeli siege of the territory and deliver crucial relief supplies.
Nine people, including eight Turkish citizens and one U.S. citizen of Turkish descent, were killed when Israeli forces raided a Gaza-bound aid flotilla including the Turkish Mavi Marmara ship on May 31. Around 30 people were wounded in the attack.
The survivor activists will lead the Viva Palestina Lifeline 5 land convoy of 200 vehicles carrying medical supplies, learning aids and materials to build a maternity facility in northern Gaza, a mosque and a school for orphans.
The convoy has representatives from organizations in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Malaysia as well as volunteers from the United States, Britain and Northern Ireland. En route it will be joined by representatives of organizations in France, Italy, Greece and Turkey, Viva Palestina said on website.
The three convoys with between 150 and 200 vehicles will then meet in Latakia in Syria before being shipped past the point at which the Mavi Marmara was attacked down to the Egyptian port of El Arish before crossing into Gaza via the Rafah Crossing, they said.
The incident drew international outrage and badly shook a wide-ranging military and diplomatic alliance between the Jewish state and Turkey.
Syrian Aid to Gaza
A Syrian ship with 650 tons of humanitarian aid, offered by Syrian people, on board set off in the same day from Tartous harbor to Gaza Strip, according SANA.
Chairman of the Syrian Red Crescent Organization Abdulrahman al-Attar hoped the aid will find its way to Gaza as soon as possible to ease the plight of the Palestinians there as a result of Israel's unjust siege on Gaza.
Israel launched on Dec. 27, 2008, a massive offensive in Gaza, killing more than 1434 Palestinians, a third of them children, and wounded at least 5300.
In its land, sea and are offensive, Israel targeted hospitals, schools, mosques and government buildings and destroyed infrastructure system in Gaza, leaving Palestinians without electricity, gas and power.
But Israel imposes heavy blockade on entry of infrastructure materials under the pretext of Palestinians can use them as "weapon" materials.
PHOTO CAPTION
Turkish ship Mavi Marmara is seen docked at the port in Haifa in August 2010.
Agencies