Middle East Live Blog: ++ USA: Gaza ship to be towed to Israel ++

A ship built by the US military in the Gaza Strip is being towed to Israel by rough seas. Kozlov, a Hamas hostage released a week ago, has called on Israelis to demonstrate. Developments in live blogging.

Philippine and British sources say the crew of a cargo ship damaged by Houthi fighters in the Red Sea on Wednesday has been evacuated. All 22 crew members of the Liberian-flagged cargo ship “Tutor” are Filipinos, Philippine Minister-in-Charge Hans Leo Cagtak said in Manila. A man is still being sought, and the abandoned ship floats in the Red Sea and may be towed. The Houthis hit the ship with rockets near the port of Hodeidah, rendering it unable to maneuver.

A makeshift ship built by the US military in the Gaza Strip was temporarily towed to the coast of Israel due to rough seas. This was announced by the Army's in-charge Regional Command (CENTCOM). This decision was not taken lightly, but the safety of the players involved was given high priority. Temporary relocation will prevent structural damage to the vessel. He should be towed back as soon as the sea state permits.

On Wednesday, a spokesman for the US Department of Defense said that relief supplies delivered by ship had not yet been distributed and remained on the beach in the Gaza Strip. The World Food Program (WFP) halted distribution out of concern for the safety of its staff after two of the organization's warehouses came under rocket attack on June 8. A WFP staff member was injured.

A week after his release from the Gaza Strip, former Hamas hostage Andrey Kozlov called on Israelis to demonstrate for the hostages still there. “I often saw demonstrations on Saturdays and they gave me a lot of hope. I am asking you to take to the streets again this Saturday and support the hostages and their families,” the 27-year-old said in a video message.

Israeli soldiers freed Kozlov and three other hostages from Hamas on Saturday last week. Kozlov and the three other hostages vividly described the months of agony they endured at the hands of their captors, who allegedly subjected them to psychological and physical abuse and torture.

There are currently believed to be 120 hostages in the Gaza Strip, although it is unclear how many of them are still alive. In the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv, scores of people regularly demonstrate in the streets on Saturdays to demand the release of hostages still held in the Gaza Strip. From the perspective of the victims' families, protests are often directed against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government for not doing enough to bring their relatives home.

The G7 countries are demanding that the UN Palestine Relief Agency operate unhindered in the Gaza Strip. Rockets from Lebanon have caused several fires and severe damage in northern Israel. Friday's developments are a must read.