Category: Press Releases

Free Gaza Movement: Dignity docks in Lebanon

To view the Free Gaza Movement website click here


Video by Al-Jazeera English

(Lebanon, Tuesday 30 December)

Today the Free Gaza ship “Dignity” carefully made its way to safe harbor in Tyre, Lebanon’s southern-most port city after receiving serious structural damage when Israeli warships rammed its bow and the port side, Waiting to greet the passengers and crew were thousands of Lebanese who came out to show their solidarity with this attempt to deliver volunteer doctors and desperately needed medical supplies to war-ravaged Gaza. The Lebanese government has pledged to provide a forensic analysis of what happened in the dark morning, when Israel rammed the mercy ship in international waters, and put the people on board in danger of losing their lives.

The Dignity was on a mission of mercy to besieged Gaza, and was attacked by the Israeli Navy at approximately 6am (UST) in international waters, roughly 90 miles off the coast of Gaza. Several Israeli warships surrounded the small, human rights boat, firing live ammunition around it, then intentionally ramming it three times. According to ship’s captain Denis Healy, the Israeli attack came, “”without any warning, or any provocation.”

Caoimhe Butterly, an organizer with the Free Gaza Movement, stated that, “The gunboats gave us no warning. They came up out of the darkness firing flares and flashing huge floodlights into our faces. We were so shocked that at first we didn’t react. We knew we were well within international waters and supposedly safe from attack. They rammed us three times, hitting the side of the boat hard. We began taking on water and, for a few minutes, we all feared for our lives. After they rammed us, they started screaming at us as we were frantically getting the lifeboats ready and putting on our life jackets. They kept yelling that if we didn’t turn back they would shoot us.”

Cynthia McKinney, former U.S. congresswoman and Green Party presidential candidate, was traveling to Gaza aboard the Dignity in order to assess the impact of Israel’s military onslaught against the civilian population of the Gaza Strip. According to McKinney, “Israeli patrol boats…tracked us for about 30 minutes…and then all of a sudden they rammed us approximately three times, twice in the front and once in the side…the Israelis indicated that [they felt] we were involved in terrorist activities.”

The Dignity departed from Larnaca Port in Cyprus at 7pm (UST) on Monday 29 December with a cargo of over 3 tons of desperately needed medical supplies donated to Gaza by the people of Cyprus. Three surgeons were also aboard, traveling to Gaza to volunteer in overwhelmed hospitals and clinics. Cypriot Port authorities searched the ship before it left, and its passenger list was made public.

Israel’s deplorable attack on the unarmed Dignity is a violation of both international maritime law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which states, “the high seas should be reserved for peaceful purposes.”

Delivering doctors and urgently needed medical supplies to civilians is just such a “peaceful purpose.” Deliberately ramming a mercy ship and endangering its passengers is an act of terrorism.

“This despicable action by the Israeli military is not going to stop us. We are going back again and again and again until the people of Gaza are free,” emphasized Free Gaza organizer, Ramzi Kysia.

For more information, please contact:

(Gaza) Ewa Jasiewicz, +972 598 700 497 / freelance@mailworks.org

(Cyprus) Lubna Masarwa +357 99 081 767 / lubnna@gmail.com

(Lebanon) Caoimhe Butterley +961 70 875 727 sahara78@hotmail.co.uk

Two sisters killed by Israeli air-strike in Beit Hanoun

30th December 2008: Two International Human Rights Activists witnessed the killing of two young girls in Beit Hanoun this morning. A young boy was also seriously injured in the attack.

The two girls, one four years old, the other twelve years old were killed as they took out garbage from their home. The deaths came as Israeli missiles destroyed an agricultural co-operative, a PFLP community centre and a police station in the Beit Hanoun area.

“It is impossible to avoid civilian casualties in a densely populated area. No one is safe from the Israeli air strikes. I saw two girls, ages 4 and 12 get hit by a bomb from an F16. They were outside clearing some rubbish around their homes. The 4 year old girl died and the 12 year old girl was being taken to the hospital on a donkey cart. The people of Gaza have nothing left from the ongoing siege: there is not even an ambulance to take a child to the hospital. There is no excuse in dropping bombs on Gaza, as civilian deaths are unavoidable. The reality for the children of Gaza will not change until there is international pressure on Israel to end the bombings and the ongoing siege.” – Ewa Jasiewicz – Free Gaza Movement

“Bombs do not discriminate. I saw two girls, ages 4 and 12 get hit by a bomb from an F16. They were outside clearing some rubbish around their homes. The 4 year old girl died and the 12 year old girl was being taken to the hospital on a donkey cart. Israel is striking Gaza after leaving the population with nothing because of the ongoing siege. There is not even an ambulance to take a child to the hospital. Until there is a strong voice from the international community demanding that Israel end the siege and bombings, everyone is in danger.” – Alberto Arce – International Solidarity Movement

Free Gaza Movement: Israeli Navy attacks and wounds Dignity in International Waters

(Larnaca, Cyprus, 10:00 am) On Tuesday, December 30, at 5 a.m., several Israeli gunboats intercepted the Dignity as she was heading on a mission of mercy to Gaza. One gunboat rammed into the boat on the port bow side, heavily damaging her. The reports from the passengers and journalists on board is that she is taking on water and appears to have engine problems. When attacked, the Dignity was clearly in international waters, 90 miles off the coast of Gaza.

The gunboats also fired their machine guns into the water in an attempt to stop the mercy ship from getting to Gaza.

As the boat limps toward Lebanon, passengers have been in contact with the Lebanese government who have said the captain has permission to dock and are willing lend assistance if needed. Cyprus sea rescue has also been in touch, and has offered assistance as well. The Dignity clearly flies the flag of Gibraltar, is piloted by an English captain and has a passenger manifest that includes Representative Cynthia McKinney from the U.S. The attack was filmed by the journalists, and the crew and passengers will report on Israel’s crime at sea once they arrive in Lebanon.

On board the boat are doctors traveling to this impoverished slice of the Mediterranean to provide badly-needed relief at the hospitals there. The crew and passengers were also hoping to take wounded out for treatment, since the hospitals are not coping. In addition, the Dignity was carrying 3 tons of medical supplies at the request of the doctors in Gaza.

The three physicans on board who were sailing to Gaza are: Dr. Halpin (UK), an experienced orthopaedic surgeon, medical professor, and ship’s captain. He has organized humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza on several occasions with the Dove and Dolphin. He is traveling to Gaza to volunteer in hospitals and clinics. Dr. Mohamed Issa (Germany), a pediatric surgeon from Germany is traveling to Gaza to volunteer in hospitals and clinics. Dr. Elena Theoharous (Cyprus), MP Dr. Theoharous is a surgeon and a Member of the Cypriot Parliament. She is traveling to Gaza to assess the ongoing conflict, assist with humanitarian relief efforts, and volunteer in hospitals.

Yet Israel thumbs its nose in the face of maritime law by attacking a human rights boat in international waters and has put all of these human rights observers at risk. At no time was the Dignity ever close to Israeli waters. They clearly identified themselves and the Israeli attack was willful and criminal.

The Dignity is still in international waters, 40 miles off Haifa. Everybody on board is safe at the moment as the boat slowly makes its way to safety in Lebanon.

For more information, please contact:

(Gaza) Ewa Jasiewicz, +972 598 700 497 / freelance@mailworks.org

(Cyprus) Lubna Masarwa +357 99 081 767 / lubnna@gmail.com

(U.S.) Greta Berlin, +1 310 422 7242 / iristulip@gmail.com

Free Gaza Movement: URGENT! Israeli Navy Attacking Civilian Mercy Ship! TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATELY!

Video report from CNN

Press Release by the Free Gaza Movement:

The Dignity, a Free Gaza boat on a mission of mercy to besieged Gaza, is being attacked by the Israeli Navy in international waters. The Dignity has been surrounded by at least half-a-dozen Israeli warships. They are firing live ammunition around the Dignity, and one of the warships has rammed the civilian craft causing an unknown amount of damage. Contrary to international maritime law, the Israelis are actively preventing the Dignity from approaching Gaza or finding safe haven in either Egypt or Lebanon. Instead, the Israeli navy is demanding that the Dignity return to Cyprus – despite the fact that the ship does not carry enough fuel to do so. Fortunately, no one aboard the ship has yet been seriously injured.

There are 15 civilian passengers representing 11 different countries (see below for a complete list). At approximately 5am (UST), well out in international waters, Israeli warships began surrounding the Dignity, threatening the ship. At 6:45am (UST) we were able to establish brief contact with the crew and were told that the ship had been rammed by the Israeli Navy in international waters, and that the Israelis were preventing the ship from finding safe harbor. We heard heavy gunfire in the background before all contact was lost with the Dignity.

It is urgent that you TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION!

CALL the Israeli Government and demand that it immediately STOP attacking the Dignity and endangering the lives of its passengers!

CALL Mark Regev in the Prime Minister’s office at:
+972 2670 5354 or +972 5062 3264
mark.regev@it.pmo.gov.il

CALL Shlomo Dror in the Ministry of Defence at:
+972 33697 5339 or +972 50629 8148
mediasar@mod.gov.il

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Dignity departed from Larnaca Port in Cyprus at 7pm (UST) on Monday 29 December, bound for war-devastated Gaza with a cargo of over 3 tons of desperately needed medical supplies donated by the people of Cyprus. At our request, the ship was searched by Cypriot Port authorities prior to departure, to certify that there was nothing “threatening” aboard – only emergency medical supplies.

Resident of Rafah refuses to leave home despite Israeli attacks

29th December 2008, Rafah, Gaza Strip:

A resident of Yibna camp is staying in his house despite the evacuation of the camp by the Red Crescent following expectations of intensified Israeli attacks on the area.

In Yibna Camp in Rafah, Ahmed Mansour has been forced to choose between his life and his home.

“I cannot leave my home. If I leave and they destroy it, what can I come back to? They have taken away any stability in my life, I will not give up my house. I know the Israeli’s will destroy homes close to the border, but I cannot leave.”

This night, the Red Crescent in Gaza is evacuating people from the neighborhoods in Rafah located along the border with Egypt. Mansour has ensured that every one of his family members is in another location, away from a probable incursion. He has decided to stay in his home tonight.

Since the deadly air strikes by the Israeli Air Force, Mansour’s family has been abandoning their homes at midnight to stay in other areas of Gaza. The twenty-two members of his family must find relatives and friends to stay with on a nightly basis, for fear of attacks in the Rafah area. They come back in the early morning, hoping that their houses are intact and that they can still return. The air strikes against Palestinians in Gaza are not restricted to one area, so every time they leave Rafah it is in hope that another area will be less dangerous.

He is one of the 1.5 million people that have no choice, but to make impossible decisions. Civilians are left with one option, to hope that their homes are not the targets of Israel’s military offensive.

Mansour is staying in his house, the last piece of his former life.

“Under the guise of humanitarian efforts, people are being informed that their homes are about to be destroyed. After an inhumane siege that left Gaza with little to lose, people are being asked to say goodbye to the last remains of their former lives. ” Fida Qishta, Palestinian resident of Rafah, International Solidarity Movement

“After days of coordinated bombings all over Gaza, the pretense of avoiding civilian casualties is nonsensical. The offensive bombing of sites in Gaza has already lead to over 300 deaths and 1,000 injuries. To pretend that Israel wants to avoid unnecessary deaths is to ignore the facts.” Jenny Linnel, British citizen, International Solidarity Movement