Disabled Palestinians stage sit-in at the Rafah border crossing
[ 07/05/2009 - 11:23 AM ]
RAFAH, (PIC)-- The government committee against siege has called for the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and to allow entry of electric wheelchairs and other medical equipment to aid those who became disabled in the latest Israeli war on Gaza Strip.
Tens of disabled Palestinians young and old took part in the sit-in on Wednesday and hoisted Palestinian flags and placards demanding the opening of the crossing and denouncing the Arab and international silence toward the siege.
Hamdy Shaat, the chairman of the committee, said that the sit-in was a protest against the "oppressive siege" and to "voice our pain in face of the cruelest oppression in history of mankind".
It is no longer a secret that the criminal siege was political in nature and aimed at achieving political goals through starving an entire people, breaking its steadfastness and depriving it of its right to self-determination, he elaborated.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Egypt allowed the entry of two members of the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, into Egypt for treatment through the Rafah crossing.
It quoted sources at the crossing as saying that the terminal was exceptionally opened for the two brothers Sharif and Ashraf Mohamemd Farwana.
Both were injured in the Israeli war on Gaza in December 2008 and January 2009 but no word was out on the nature of their injuries.
In another development, the armed wing announced the death of one of its cadres while on a "special Jihad mission", the nature of which was not disclosed.
It said in a statement on Thursday that Talat Afifi, 32, from Beit Hanun in northern Gaza had died Wednesday night.
From Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME):
While Israel has imposed a cripping blockade on Gaza since 2007, Egypt has also played a crucial role in maintaining the siege by closing its own border with Gaza. This crossing – the Rafah crossing – is the only entry point Gaza shares with a state other than Israel.” - More here.
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