International activists are planning to dispatch a new aid flotilla to the Gaza Strip in an attempt to break the years-long Israeli siege of the impoverished coastal enclave

International activists are planning to dispatch a new aid flotilla to the Gaza Strip in an attempt to break the years-long Israeli siege of the impoverished coastal enclave.

The Free Gaza Movement said Tuesday that the target date for the convoy's departure is May 31 which is meant to mark the one-year anniversary of the Mavi Marmara's voyage. During the raid on the Marmara last May 31, nine Turkish activists were martyred by members of the Israeli occupation forces’ naval commando unit.

The new 15-ship flotilla will be twice as big as last year's convoy and carry a total of 1,500 people, including activists from Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Canada and the United States, to the coastal sliver.

An international coalition of 22 non-governmental groups is to organize the event.

Israel has already warned that it may again use force against the aid ship to prevent it from breaking the Gaza blockade.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene a meeting of the inner cabinet on Wednesday morning to discuss different strategies for handling the anticipated arrival of the flotilla.

This, along with the expected delay in the launching date, has led Israeli Foreign Ministry officials to speculate that the flotilla organizers do not want to embarrass the Turkish government. "Such facts actually reflect the strengthening of connections between the Turkish government and the flotilla's organizers," said one Foreign Ministry source.

At this stage, the Netanyahu government has not altered its policy, which stipulates that any vessel making an attempt to run the naval blockade on the Gaza Strip will be stopped forcibly. But during this morning's meeting, alternative policy scenarios are likely to be discussed. One possibility being entertained by Foreign Ministry officials and Israeli forces officers is to allow the vessels to reach Gaza, but only after they pass security checks at the Ashdod port or some neutral harbor.