Not only humans protest against Gaza siege, but also animals do!

Tuesday March 11, 2008 19:46 by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC & Agencies

Hundreds of animals , including horses, donkeys, camels and live stocks marched Tuesday in the streets of Gaza city, with signs against the Israeli siege of the coastal enclave, hanged on them.

" where is the world's consciousness', ' save Gaza children', Gaza is dieying, stop the siege', ' is the United Nations organizations an international lie?', the posters on the animals read.

Sami Akila, of the life makers club forum, which has organized the animals rally, said " if the world wont understand the animals' language, Gaza will use a deaf language so the world might react".

" we are well-aware that the animals' stomachs are full, in a time Gaza children's have been suffering from Anemia and hunger as well as lack of milk. Therefore, what is going in Gaza is a sign of shame on the foreheads of those who signed the international humanitarian conventions", Akila made clear.

Akila was speaking in front of the office of United Nations' special envoy to the occupied Palestinian territories in Gaza, where the animals rally stopped, in a bid to convey a message to the world organization's Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon.

Such a march is the first of its type, since Israel has placed the coastal Strip under strict border crossings closure in June of last year, after the Hamas-dominated government took over the region.

According to the Gaza local committee for breaking the Israeli siege, 85 percent of Gaza's 1.5-million residents are living under poverty line, as 66 percent others have been rendered jobless.

Also, 3900 local factories have been forced to shut down due to lack of raw materials and, as 3000 fishermen have been barred access to Gaza's shore due to Israeli naval forces' harassment of fishing industry on board, the committee's records suggest.

gaza strip | miscellaneous | news report rami at imemc dot org