Gaza flotilla heads for Israeli gunships

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists, including a Nobel laureate and a Holocaust survivor, set sail yesterday for the Gaza Strip, edging closer to an expected naval showdown with Israeli gunships determined to stop them.

Organisers said the six-ship flotilla began the journey from the coast of Cyprus in the afternoon after two days of delays. She said they expected to reach Gaza, about 250 miles away, today, and that two more ships would follow in "a second wave". The flotilla, which includes three cargo ships and three passenger ships, is trying to draw attention to Israel's three-year blockade of the Gaza Strip.