A second Turkish ship laden with humanitarian aid bound for the blockaded Gaza Strip docked in the Israeli port city of Ashdod on Monday.
The ship named Eclips was received at Ashdod port by Cem Utkan, Turkey's charge d'affaires in Tel Aviv, along with officials from several Turkish charity associations.
The ship set out for Israel on Friday from Turkey's southern port of Mersin bearing some 2,500 tons of humanitarian aid.
It is the second of its kind to arrive in Ashdod. In July, the Turkish government sent a first ship – the Lady Leyla – laden with aid that was eventually distributed to the people of the Gaza Strip.
The aid shipment that arrived in Ashdod on Monday includes foodstuffs and clothing, along with 1,000 bicycles for Gazan children, 100 wheelchairs for the disabled and 100,000 schoolbags and stationary items ahead of the school year.
It is expected that the aid will be distributed in Gaza – after being taken by truck from Ashdod – before the upcoming Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, which will begin on Sept. 12.
