HUNDREDS of pro-Palestinian activists yesterday set sail for the Gaza Strip from international waters off the coast of Cyprus, edging closer to an expected naval showdown with Israeli gunships determined to stop them.

Israeli gunships were standing by today to stop a flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists from reaching the Gaza Strip, setting the stage for what could become a dramatic showdown on the high seas.

Two Irish people who were arrested in Israel last week are due to arrive back in Ireland tomorrow night.

THE Israeli navy ordered a small ferry carrying medical supplies and foreign peace activists to Gaza to turn back, a spokesman for the group said yesterday.

SIX female Nobel peace laureates came together yesterday to fire the opening salvo in a global offensive on sexual discrimination.

A bitter and unrepentant Mordechai Vanunu spent his first night of freedom in a Jerusalem church after serving an 18-year prison term for disclosing Israel’s nuclear secrets.

Actress Susannah York and anti-nuclear activists from around the world gathered today to welcome freed whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu, as Israel slapped tough restrictions on his movements, fearing he has more secrets to spill.