Egypt Prevents Hope Convoy European Activists from Entering Gaza, 200 US Activists to Camp on Rafah Crossing in Protest

Egypt Prevents Hope Convoy European Activists from Entering Gaza

200 US Activists to Camp on Rafah Crossing in Protest

Palestinian government calls on Egypt to allow European hope convoy in Gaza

[ 24/05/2009 - 06:58 PM ]

RAFAH, (PIC)--

The Palestinian government headed by premier Ismail Haniya on Sunday called on Egypt to allow the European hope convoy into the besieged Gaza Strip, expressing shock at the Egyptian authorities’ inflexibility towards the convoy in spite of its humanitarian mission.

Minister of labor and social affairs Ahmed Kurd stated that the European convoy is carrying humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people in Gaza, pointing that the aid includes medical appliances for the disabled and those with special needs.

The minister recalled that all international humanitarian laws confirm that the Israeli siege on Gaza is unfair and overstepped all human values and morals.

In the same context, the government committee to break the siege strongly denounced the Egyptian authorities for placing obstacles in the way of the convoy.

In a statement received by the PIC, the committee said that the Egyptian authorities decided to allow the passage of only 16 participants in the convoy out of 100 others, but all members of the convoy rejected this decision and insisted on moving collectively into Gaza.

Insisting on Gaza access, Hope Convoy spends night at Rafah

Date: 25 / 05 / 2009 Time: 10:28
Gaza – Ma’an –

European solidarity activists with the Hope Convoy to Gaza spent Sunday night in the entryway of the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing after Egypt refused to allow all of the participants to cross.

Ma’an has learned that more than one hundred members of the convoy plan to wait at the crossing until Egypt agrees to allow the entire group to pass. On Sunday Egypt agreed to allow only part of the group enter the Palestinian territory.

According to Rami Abdo, one of the convoy’s organizers, and member of the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza, the participants are “confident” that Egypt will eventually allow the whole group to pass into the Gaza Strip.

“More than a hundred solidarity activists will not simply agree not to enter the Gaza Strip after more than two months preparing their convoy, especially since there are physicians and reconstruction experts amongst them,” said Abdo.

Carrying some 30 truckloads of medical supplies for the besieged Gaza Strip, the group travelled to Egypt by boat and then overland to the Rafah border, the only one of Gaza’s access points not controlled by Israel.

200 US solidarity activists to camp near Rafah crossing in June

Date: 25 / 05 / 2009 Time: 13:57
Gaza – Ma’an –

Two hundred American solidarity activists and dozens of Europeans are expected to arrive in June to hold a major sit-in at the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, an official said on Monday.

“Solidarity activities with Gaza are increasing, and the most prominent one after the European Hope Convoy is the US group of activists scheduled for June,” said Hamdi Sha’ath, head of the governmental anti-siege committee in the Gaza Strip.

He explained that the activists would erect a large tent where they will stay protesting against the closure of the Rafah crossing by Egypt, and demand that it be opened permanently "in order to ease the Gazan people's suffering."

Infant dies in Gaza due to the Israeli siege, death toll reach 337

Monday May 25, 2009 15:47 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News & Agencies

A Palestinian infant was reported dead on Monday afternoon after he was unable to leave the Gaza Strip for the life saving medical treatment he needed.

One year old, Mohamed Nufal, had hart failure; he needed medical car that Gaza hospitals were unable to provide him with because of the ongoing Israeli siege on Gaza. Israeli started its siege on Gaza in June 2007.

With Nufal death, death toll due to the Israeli siege now reaches 337, doctors in Gaza reported.

Virtually no one has been able to enter or leave the besieged coastal Strip, and supplies of needed medicines and equipment are rapidly dwindling in Gaza's hospitals and clinics.

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