GAZA – The “Dignity” boat docked at the Gaza city harbor at an early hour on Saturday carrying one ton of Qatari medical aid along with representatives of Qatari charitable society and other activists.

MP Jamal Al-Khudari, the head of the popular anti siege committee, said in a statement after the arrival of the boat that the vessel was the first Arab one to break the siege after the Libyan Marwa’s unsuccessful attempt in mid December.

He said that the arrival of this boat signals the start of a series of Arab dispatched ships that would be launched within the coming few days including a Lebanese ship to be followed by a ship carrying Arab, Islamic and foreign parliamentarians.

The Qatari delegates would visit health organizations in the Strip and return with greater support, Khudari said, adding that the present trip was “symbolic.”

He said that the delegation would also study the possibility of developing the Gaza harbor to handle bigger ships in addition to

other infrastructural projects, and pointed out that a tour has been organized for the delegates to get acquainted with the bulk of devastation caused by the Israeli occupation in all aspects of life in the Strip.

The boat had set sail from the Cypriot port of Larnaca on Friday evening in the fifth such voyage from Cyprus.

Katia Nasser, one of the correspondents of the Qatari-based Al-Jazeera TV network, was on board the ship and reported from there that it carried expensive medications to treat cancer and acute depression in addition to other medicines for children along with baby milk powder and toys.

The Free Gaza Movement is planning to organize a series of sea voyages with bigger boats carrying more badly needed aid, she elaborated.

For his part, Sheikh Ayed Al-Qahtani, the head of the Qatari delegation aboard “Dignity”, said in a statement after arriving in Gaza that the voyage was a message to the world that “We can do something to break this siege.”

Qahtani promised more such sea trips carrying more aid, adding that all Arab and Islamic countries should work on breaking the siege through diplomatic, or other, means.