Iran sends aid ships to Gaza

Iran is sending two aid shipments towards Gaza, officials said today, a move likely to further heighten tensions with Israel.

One ship left on Sunday and another, carrying food, construction materials and toys, was due to depart later this week, Iranian state radio said. According to the country’s ISNA news agency, the shipment is being organised by the Society for the Defence of the Palestinian Nation, which insists it is not connected to the Iranian state. “Until the end of the Gaza blockade, Iran will continue to ship aid,” an official from the organisation was quoted as saying by Reuters.