OTTAWA - A group of Canadian pro-Palestinian activists are planning to join an international flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip this fall to protest Israel's blockade of the territory claimed by Palestinians.

Organizers of the Canadian Boat to Gaza are trying to raise $300,000 to buy a boat, stock it with food and humanitarian supplies and sail from the Mediterranean in mid-October. There's no precise date set for the launch.

Ehab Lotayef, a spokesman for the group, said they're going to be “extremely cautious” about not taking supplies that could detract from their message.

“Our mission is a peaceful mission. It's not intended to provoke, but our message and our position is very clear that we believe the blockade should not exist,” Lotayef said.

A similar mission on May 31 saw nine activists killed in an Israeli military raid on a Turkish ship. Survivors said the ship was still in international waters and they were mistreated after the military stopped them. Israel said its soldiers were attacked when they boarded.

Shimon Fogel, spokesman for the Canada-Israel Committee, says the group should send aid through other routes and humanitarian groups instead.

“There are established routes through which assistance can get to the population of Gaza, and why would they choose an alternative that is fraught with all sorts of danger and difficulty, if not to provoke some kind of reaction from the Israelis?” he said.

The Israeli Embassy didn't respond to a request for comment.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said the activists should make sure they follow the rules Israel set up for getting supplies into Gaza.

laura.payton@sunmedia.ca