Wife of former Lebanese general plans to send aid ship to Gaza

Jun 15, 2010, 16:38 GMT

Beirut - The wife of a former Lebanese general said Tuesday that she will send an aid ship from Lebanon to Gaza in the coming days, despite warnings by Israel not to enter its waters.

Samar al Hajj told the German Press Agency dpa that the cargo ship Mariam will carry 30 Lebanese and 20 foreign women - a mix of Muslims and Christians, including several European nationals - who plan to deliver medical supplies, mostly for cancer patients, to the enclave.

'We are all independent women not linked to any political movement at all,' she said. 'Our aim is to break the siege on Gaza for humanitarian reasons. We are going on a peaceful mission.'

Hajj said she expects the vessel to leave Lebanon before June 25. All the logistics for the trip have been handled by the Free Palestine Movement, a non-governmental organization.

'We will not fear the Israeli warnings that they will use force. They can search the boat and see what we have,' she said.

Hajj is married to Ali Hajj, one of four generals imprisoned for four years in connection with the 2005 car bombing that killed former prime minister Rafik Hariri.

Ali Hajj, who used to head the Lebanese police department, was released from prison in April 2009, after a UN-backed tribunal said there was not enough evidence against the generals.

Samar al Hajj is not alone in her bid. Pro-Palestinian activists in Lebanon are also working on launching a separate aid ship carrying educational supplies for Gaza in the coming week.

The flurry of aid activity follows an Israeli raid on a Gaza- bound aid flotilla last month that left nine activists dead, most of them Turks. The incident sparked international outrage and strained Israeli-Turkish relations.