Turkish humanitarian aid ship for Gaza reaches Israel

The vessel Lady Leyla reached port of Ashdod, where 10,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid will be transported to the Gaza Strip

4 July 2016, 9:10am

1 min read

Lady Leyla reached Ashodod port from the Turkish city of Mersin

A Turkish ship carrying more than 10,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip has reached the Israeli port of Ashdod.

The vessel Lady Leyla left Turkish land late on Friday from the city of Mersin.

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency confirmed that the ship docked in Ashdod after a 35-hour journey.

The ship carried on board food, toys, clothes and shoes, according to Turkey’s disaster and emergency management authority. The delivery comes before the start of Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The Lady Leyla has now been unloaded and the aid donations will be transported overland through Israel to Gaza.

In 2010, relations between Turkey and Israel imploded when an Israeli naval raid killed nine Turks on board an aid ship trying to breach Israel’s blockade of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

A six-year political standoff between Turkey and Israel ended last week when the two countries agreed to normalise ties.