Two Solidarity Convoys Enter Gaza

Thursday May 17, 2012 23:34 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Two convoys organized by the International Campaign to Break the Siege on Gaza (ICBSG) with Lifeline Jordan "Ansar 2" and Miles Of Smiles” solidarity convoys managed to enter the Gaza Strip, on Thursday evening, via the Rafah border terminal on the Gaza Egypt border, received a massive popular welcome, and was also welcomed by officials of the Hamas-led government in Gaza.

Image By Quds Net

Convoy members were welcomed at the terminal by delegates of the Palestinian Interior Ministry in Gaza, headed by Ghazi Hamad, and several political and social figures in the coastal region.

Hamad thanked convoy members for their ongoing support and solidarity with the Palestinian people, and for challenging the illegal Israeli siege on the coastal region.

Miles of Smiles Convoy carried 43 activists from different countries, in addition to 34 wheelchair accessible vehicles, and medical supplies, in addition to three physicians who will be holding training seminars on specific medical specialties, the Palestinian Information Center reported.

The convoy also carried two trucks and twelve mobile homes, in addition to medications, including seventy medications urgently needed in Gaza, and are used for treated heart and cancer patients, and for ailing children, the center added.

Head of the Ansar 2 convoy, Wael As-Saqqa, stated that 90 convoy members flew to Egypt via Jordan, and will be establishing a fund for supporting small projects that would help eliminate unemployment in the besieged and impoverished coastal region, the Palestinian Information Center added.

As-Saqqa added that bids will be announced for the construction of a pediatric hospital, with an estimated cost of 5 Million Jordanian Dinars, in addition to a placing the cornerstone of a training center center for handcraft workers in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

He further stated that these projects are the safety net for the residents living under very difficult conditions, impacted by the ongoing Israeli siege, bombardment and violations, adding that more convoys will be heading to Gaza.

It is worth mentioning that a solidarity convoy, organized by George Galloway, is still stuck in Jordan awaiting permission from the Egyptian Authorities.

Despite Israeli claims of easing the siege on the Gaza Strip, the economic situation continues to decline due to increased restrictions and ongoing Israeli assaults, in addition to travel ban and severe Israeli restrictions on imports and exports.

gaza strip | gaza siege | news report saed at imemc dot org