THE UN has pledged to deliver to Gaza supplies from three cargo ships, including the MV Rachel Corrie,that participated in the aid flotilla forcibly intercepted by Israeli commandos earlier this summer.
Flotilla organisers have agreed to a deal under which the office of the United Nations Special Co-ordinator for the Middle East (UNSCO) will process the cargo for delivery to UN agencies in Gaza this week.
The cargo of the MV Rachel Corrie, which set sail from Dundalk in mid-May, included 20 tonnes of paper, plus pens and books for schools and universities; more than 50 tonnes of medical supplies; and 550 tonnes of cement. This was destined for use in the construction of new buildings at Al Shifa hospital, the largest medical centre in Gaza.
Niamh Moloughney, co-ordinator of the Free Gaza Movement Ireland, one of groups that organised the flotilla, said the UN could give no guarantees that the supplies would get to the intended recipients.
The cement on board the Rachel Corriehas proved particularly problematic, as Israel says it could be used for military purposes.
At one stage, the Free Gaza Movement considered and later dropped a plan to sell the cement to development agency USAid if its efforts to give the cement to Al Shifa hospital proved unsuccessful.
The Free Gaza Movement planned to give the money raised from this directly to Al Shifa.
Nine Turkish activists died when Israeli forces raided the flotilla on May 31st. The UN Human Rights Council has appointed three independent experts to investigate whether the raid violated international law.
Israel has pledged to carry out its own inquiry, but critics argue it will not be impartial.
Last week Israel said it would return three Turkish boats seized during the raid. Talks about the return of the vessels had been delayed by Israel’s insistence the ships’ owners sign guarantees that they would not carry out further aid missions to Gaza. It was later decided to release the vessels without such conditions.
Earlier this month, Irish activists who attempted to breach Israel's blockade of Gaza on board the Rachel Corriein the days following the fatal flotilla raid were told the vessel was ready to be released.
However, the Free Gaza Movement insisted it would accept nothing less than the release of all seven boats that had participated in the effort to break the blockade.