Gaza flotilla ship held by Greek officials

 

 

Passengers on «The Audacity of Hope» prepare to set sail from Athens Thursday to join the flotilla to Gaza.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• A U.S. ship en route to Gaza — «The Audacity of Hope» — has been stopped by Greek officials
• The ship is part of a flotilla intended to challenge Israel’s maritime blockade of the Palestinian territory
• Flotilla organizers claim another vessel — the Irish ship Saoirse — was sabotaged in Turkish waters Thursday
• Nine people were killed when a similar flotilla was stopped by Israeli commandos one year ago

(CNN) — One of the ships in a Gaza-bound flotilla was stopped Friday by Greek authorities, who warned that other ships headed to the Palestinian territory would also be blocked.

«The Audacity of Hope» — a U.S. vessel carrying 36 American passengers and four crew members — was stopped by the Greek Coast Guard roughly 20 minutes outside the port of Perama, according to CNN reporter Phil Black, who is on the ship.

Dimitris Delavekouras, a spokesman for the Greek Foreign Ministry, confirmed that the vessel had been detained. Athens warned that all ships bound for Gaza will be prohibited from leaving Greek ports.