BEIRUT, (AP) – Lebanese authorities have granted a Gaza-bound ship carrying aid and activists permission to sail to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.

Transport Minister Ghazi Aridi says the ship, “Julia,” is now docked at the northern Lebanese port of Tripoli and can set sail once it is cleared by port authorities there.

Aridi’s comments came in an interview with a local Lebanese TV channel late Sunday and published in the press Monday.

He said the ship would be allowed to sail to Cyprus and not directly to Gaza because Lebanon and Israel were technically in a state of war.

The ship’s organizers said Monday they plan to sail in the next few days. They did not give an exact date for departure because of security concerns.