This article was originally published by IMEMC and is republished with permission.

A British national waves after arriving in Gaza City via boat from Cyprus on Saturday morning. (Hatem Omar, Maan Images)

The third Free Gaza ship, the SS Dignity, anchored in the Gaza harbor on Saturday morning after setting sail from Cyprus Friday evening. Aboard were several European Parliamentarians from England, Italy and Switzerland as well as several Arab leaders, human rights activists and journalists.

This makes it the third ship within three months to successfully arrive in Gaza. The voyages, organized by the Free Gaza movement, aim at breaking the Israeli siege on the area by opening the coastal border so Gazans can move freely in and out of the country.

The crew reported that a few kilometers off the Gaza shore an Israeli naval gunboat approached cutting across the bow of the boat then "falling back and tracking it for about an hour."

Then the gunboat radioed the ship and "asked who they were and where they were going," then asked for the passenger list. One crew member responded:

"Our passengers are listed on our Free Gaza website for everyone to see. You're welcome to visit it any time. And… while you're there, feel free to make a donation." After a pause, then a laugh, the voice on the other end said, "Have a nice day."

The Gazan Governmental Committee Against the Siege, which is affiliated with the de facto government, announced that a special agenda has been prepared for the solidarity delegation. They will give presentations and tours of some of the hardest hit areas in the Gaza Strip, particularly refugee camps and hospitals.

The crew of the latest voyage brought with them one metric ton of medicines, most of which are a variety of basic pain killers and aspirin. These medications were said to be in desperately short supply, and mostly unavailable in local pharmacies.

The SS Dignity is seen shortly after docking in the port of Gaza City. (Hatem Omar, Maan Images)