Category: Press Releases

Free Gaza Movement: Dignity to sail emergency medical supplies to Gaza

To view the Free Gaza Movement website click here

Sunday 28th December 2008

(Larnaca, Cyprus) The Free Gaza movement will hold a press conference at 16:30 Monday, December 29 at the port in Larnaca. We are sending in the DIGNITY on an emergency mission of mercy to Gaza loaded with three to four tons of urgently needed medical supplies.

On board are four physicians, including Dr. Elena Theoharous, a surgeon and Member of Parliament in Cyprus. Also going are The Hon. Cynthia McKinney, former U.S. Congresswoman and Green Party presidential candidate, and Sami al-Hajj, an Al Jazeera reporter and former detainee at Guantanamo.

Dr Khaled from Shifa hospital ICU in Gaza City told us on Saturday that the majority of cases are critical shrapnel wounds from Israeli gunboats and helicopters, with an approximate 80% who will not survive.

Eliza Ernshire, one of the Free Gaza organizers says, “We have calls for surgeons willing to go into Gaza and work there throughout this crisis. The doctors inside are exhausted and unable to cope with the number of wounded. We will do our best to send in the DIGNITY as often as we can over the next few weeks, bringing in physicians and medical supplies.

The media is welcome to come to the port at 16:30 to interview the passengers.

For more information, contact.

(Gaza) Ewa Jasiewicz, +970 598 700 497 / freelance@mailworks.org
(Cyprus) Eliza Ernshire, +357 99 081 767/ eliza.ernshire@gmail.com
(U.S.) Ramzi Kysia, +1 703 994 5422/ rrkysia@yahoo.com


The Free Gaza Movement, a human rights group, sent two boats to Gaza in August 2008. These were the first international boats to land in the port in 41 years. Since August, four more voyages were successful, taking Parliamentarians, human rights workers, physicians, and other dignitaries to witness the effects of Israel’s draconian policies on the civilians of Gaza.

Israeli forces kill resident of Ni’lin and leave another in critical condition during demonstration of solidarity with Gaza

Israeli forces have killed one Palestinian man from Ni’lin, while another is in critical condition, as they opened fire on a demonstration against the Israeli massacre of the people of Gaza.

Arafat Rateb Khawaje, 22 years old, was shot in the back with live ammunition, he died at 2:45pm in Ramallah Hospital.

Mohammed Kasim Khawaje, 20 years old, was shot in the forehead with live ammunition from close range. He remains in critical condition in Ramallah hospital.

Mohammed Sror was shot in the leg with live ammunition, but his injuries are not critical.

Sara Weinberg, a resident of Chicago, said, “The internationals that live in the village went out in solidarity with Ni’lin residents to demonstrate against the massacre on Gaza. I was standing about 15 meters from the boys, when we heard the sound of live ammunition. I heard screams and saw that 3 had been shot. One man was shot in the leg, another in the head right above the eyebrow and a third was shot in the back. Men carried all three, the one shot in the head was bleeding profusely. The one that was shot in the back was unconscious. We ran down to the street from the olive fields and the soldiers would not stop shooting tear gas at us. It took the soldiers at least 5 minutes to let the ambulance through the checkpoint at the entrance to the village.”

Israeli activist Jonathan Polack said that;

“Fifteen Palestinian youths were protesting when five soldiers, who were 15 metres away opened fire with live ammunition straight at the group of protesters. They shot one protester in the back, one in the forehead and one in the leg”

Ibrahim Amira, member of the Popular Committee in Ni’lin said;

“The Occupation is going to turn Ni’lin into a ghetto as it has turned Gaza into a ghetto. And the same way that a massacre is taking place in Gaza against those resisting the siege, a massacre is now taking place in Ni’lin against those resisting the Aparthied Wall”

Arafat Khawaje is now the third resident of Ni’lin to be killed by Israeli soldiers during demonstrations against the construction of the Apartheid Wall on Nil’in’s land.

On the 29th July 2008, ten year old Ahmed Mousa was shot through the forehead with live ammunition, killing him instantly. The following day Yousef Amira was shot twice from close range with rubber-coated steel bullets leaving him brain-dead. He died a week later on 4th August 2008.

Lina Escobar, a Spanish citizen who witnessed the attack, stated;

“By agreeing to upgrade relations with Israel the European Union is rewarding Israel for it’s policies of mass murder in Lebanon and Palestine. It makes it complicit in the murder of the youth of Ni’lin for protesting their village being turned into a prison by the Apartheid Wall”

For more information and for photos of those killed and injured please contact:

Adam Taylor – ISM Media Office – +972 598 503948 or email palreports@gmail.com

Civilian houses and medical centres targeted by Israeli air-strikes

Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have been ongoing through the night, with civilian houses and medical centres being targeted by Israeli air-strikes.

International Human Rights Workers are continuing to witness and document the escalating devastation. Two houses that internationals were staying in last night (night of 27th December), suffered almost direct hits from Israeli missiles, one in Rafah and one in Jabaliya.

“I was woken by an incredibly loud explosion that felt like it was on top of us. We ran for the door, but the blast had welded it shut. The windows had been blown in so we crawled out through them. As we came on to the street, everyone was out. The medical centre next-door had been hit. Medical equipment was strewn over the road. Equipment here is so low anyway due to the Israeli siege, to see it wasted on the street was heartbreaking” Jenny Linnel (Britain) International Solidarity Movement speaking from Rafah.

“At the house where I am staying, the neigbours have just received a call to evacuate their house immediately. That it is being targeted. People do not know what to do”. Jenny Linnel (ISM)

Last night thousands of Palestinian residents of Gaza were subjected to calls from the Israeli Ministry of Defence saying that “any house that has guns or weapons will be targeted next without further warning or any announcement”

Two international Human Rights Workers stayed with the family of Sara Aid Hawajereh, the 55 year old mother killed yesterday by an Israeli missile in Jabaliya.

“We were in the basement with the rest of the family. We heard an extremely loud explosion and the house began to shake. Each mother grabbed their children to them. The missile had landed just outside in the garden. We were lucky” – Sharon Lock (Australian) International Solidarity Movement speaking from Jabaliya

Several medical and pharmaceutical centres treating civilians were hit by Israeli missiles throughout the night, including Al-Shifa hospital and the pharmacy in Hi Alijnina, Rafah.

A mosque was also hit last night, killing four civilians. The total amount of people now killed by Israel over the last 24 hours now stands at at least 282.

Mother of 13 killed by Israeli air-strike – Internationals staying in Jabaliya amid fears of Israeli ground invasion

International Human Rights Activists went to visit one of the families who lost their mother as Israel killed at least 225 in Gaza on the 27th December.

They will be staying with the family tonight (27th December) as the family and neighbours have expressed fear over an anticipated ground invasion of the area.


Photo from outside Al-Shifa hospital

Canadian citizen, Eva Bartlett, reported that;

“Today we visited the home of martyred civilian Sara Aid Hawajereh, a 55 year-old mother of 7 boys and 6 girls.

It was 11am this morning when Sara ventured out of her home in Jabaliya refugee camp to buy bread. On the way to the shop she was hit by shrapnel from an F16-launched missile and was killed.”

“Everyone in this house depended on Sara,” said one of her sons. “She would wake at 5am each day to ensure our home was clean and tidy, before going out to the market to buy our bread and other groceries. Before she left this morning, my mother hurt her leg, but despite the injury she still insisted on going to get food for all of us children.”

Eva added, “Every loss is atrocious, but it is more poignant when you see it or know the dead.”

Human Rights Defenders from various countries are present in Gaza and are witnessing and documenting the current Israeli attacks on Gaza. Due to Israel’s policy of denying access to international media, human rights defenders and aid agencies to the Occupied Gaza Strip, many of these Human Rights Defenders arrived in Gaza with the Free Gaza Movement’s boats that have repeatedly broken the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

Israeli Ministry of Defence make threatening phone call to residents of Gaza on the day that Israel kills at least 225 Palestinians

27th December 2008 – A family in Rafah say they have received a menacing phone call from the Israeli Ministry of Defence, warning that “any house that has guns or weapons will be targeted next without further warning or any announcement”.

At the end of a day where Israeli air-strikes killed at least 225 Palestinians in Gaza, with hundreds more injured, residents of Rafah were then subject to further threats from the Israelis. According to international Human Rights activists based in the area, the aggressive communication has caused widespread panic as the family called neighbours to find out if they had received the same call.

Palestinian Human Rights Activist Fida Qishta said:

” We received a call at about 9:45pm from the Israeli Ministry of Defence. It said that any house with guns or weapons would be targeted next. They said that this would happen without warning or any announcement”

“I hope that its not just our house. We do not have any guns”

Haaretz have reported that thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have received the same message.


For more information:

Adam Taylor – ISM Media Office in Ramallah – +972 598503948