Gaza aid ship changes course

A SHIP sent by a Libyan charity to break Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip changed course in the Mediterranean Sea yesterday and instead appeared headed for an Egyptian port, signaling that it would avoid a showdown with the Israeli navy.

Israel’s military said the vessel was now steaming away from Gaza and toward the port city of el-Arish, and Egypt’s state news agency MENA reported that Egyptian authorities were “making preparations” to receive the boat there.

The ship, the Moldovan- flagged Almathea, was still crawling in international waters by mid-afternoon yesterday and could not be contacted for confirmation.