The Zaytouna-Oliva, one of two vessels that set sail from Barcelona in September in a bid to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza, expects to be 100 nautical miles off the shores of the Hamas-ruled area by Wednesday morning, according to a South African passenger who talked to Agence France Presse on Tuesday. Leigh-Ann Naidoo told AFP, "We are not worried about what Israel plans on doing."
Spokeswoman Claude Leotic told AFP, "We fear there will be an Israeli attack" to prevent the boat from reaching Gaza's shores. As in the past, the Israeli navy is expected to intercept the boat and escort it to the port of Ashdod, arresting and deporting those on board.