Activist: cargo ship trying to breach Gaza blockade could reach 20-mile limit by late Friday

Activist: Ship could near Gaza by late Friday

NICOSIA, Cyprus — A spokeswoman for a pro-Palestinian group says a cargo ship trying to break the blockade of Gaza could reach Israel’s 20-mile (32-kilometer) exclusion zone by late afternoon Friday.

Greta Berlin of the Free Gaza group says the 1,200-ton Rachel Corrie is heading directly to Gaza and will not stop in any port on the way. It is trying to deliver hundreds of tons of aid including building materials and medical supplies.

The cargo ship is trying to run the blockade four days after an Israeli commando raid on a larger flotilla of aid ships resulted in the death of nine activists aboard a Turkish ship.