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Turkey challenged Israel here on Saturday by dispatching a special ship with 500 supporters and 20 million U.S. dollars worth of humanitarian goods to Gaza.

About 5,000 supporters and activists showed up at the ceremony in solidarity with the people in Gaza and sent off the ship that will join a convey to bring supplies to Palestinians behind the Gaza blockade.

The "Mavi Marmara" (Blue Marmara) left Istanbul for Antalya after a send-off ceremony at the Sarayburnu district in the historic peninsula.

The Mavi Marmara will join two other Turkish ships in Antalya, before departing for Gaza on May 25. The ships are expected to get to Gaza late this month.

They will meet up with two British, one Greek, one Irish, one Algerian and one Kuwaiti ship in international waters.

The 9 ships are expected to sail to Gaza within 24 hours after meeting up if they are not blocked by Israel, which has imposed an embargo on Gaza since 2006.

The ships' cargo includes medicine, medical supplies, cement, iron, prefabricated homes, and children's games making a total of 10,000 tons of humanitarian goods.

The campaign is supported by nearly 50 countries and thousands of NGOs and activists, and is organized by international organizations such as the "IHH Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief" and "Free Gaza."

A flotilla of ships funded by Turkey will approach Gaza in late May, in an attempt to challenge Israeli contr... >>>