The Free Gaza movement consists of a group of Californian peace activists who have been working on the idea of sailing into Gaza for nearly a year now. Forty to seventy Palestinians and people from 12 countries including America, Canada, Pakistan, and Britain have joined the project and will sail into Gaza during the sixty-year anniversary of the Nakba - the forcible expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians from their lands to create Israel -to challenge Israeli control over the open-air prison called Gaza. According to a press release by the activists: “Israel says Gaza is no longer occupied; yet it denies Palestinians access to jobs, travel, commerce, education, and medical care. Its military has turned the Gaza Strip into an open-air concentration camp controlled by land, sea and air. “ “In the past year, the people of Gaza have barely had enough to eat, as Israel withholds food and energy in an attempt to starve them into submission.” The group has chosen nonviolent civil resistance against the unjust policies of occupation to show that everyone of conscience can participate in resisting injustice. The timetable: August 2-4: First aid and boat training, and conflict management. August 5: Boat sets sail and will reach Gaza after one day. August 6-10: Delivering supplies to Gaza.
AhlulBayt News Agency