The 40 peace activists from 17 countries that set sail from Cyprus to get through Israels blockade and reach the Gaza port to deliver hearing aid to the people of Palestine who are facing a shortage of water, fuel, medical attention and work.

Israel recently stopped its occupation of the Gaza strip buy tightened security restrictions on the territory to an extent that even the local fisher folk cannot go more than three miles from the shore to fish, curbing the only source of available to the Palestinians.

At the time of departure Greta Berlin, spokeswoman, Free Gaza Movement, US, said, “We want to bring it to the world’s attention that Gaza is virtually an outdoor concentration camp. The peace boats are a small flotilla for justice, we expect Israel to honour its commitment that Gaza is no longer occupied. Our voyage exposes the falsity of Israel’s claim that there is no occupation, we are going to challenge the siege of Gaza.”Israel stated that they would not allow the boat through and would do what it takes to stop it. But in the end they could not stop them probably because this event has been carefully monitored by the media world over.

The peace boat got to the Gaza port without any hiccups and was welcomed by thousands of Palestinians on the shore as well as fishing boats surrounding them and the young ones jumping into the water to swim up to them.

A great reception, for the first boat to hit the Gaza port since a long time, the organizers of the Peace Boat hope many more follow this route and bring in aid and support for the 1.5 million Palestinians deprived of basic amenities.

The boats, Liberty and Free Gaza, made the 370-kilometre voyage from Larnaca port on Cyprus’s south coast and carried 200 hearing aids for Gaza children and 5,000 balloons.

Many of the activists said they had received death threats before they set sail, and some demonstrators dropped out.

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Tags: Israel, Palestine, Peace Boat