Madam, – Various UN and humanitarian groups have commented recently on how the world has failed the people of Gaza, who are now in desperate need of food and medical supplies because of the Israeli blockade which, along with the horrific Israeli military campaign this time last year, has crippled the economy.
Yet civil society around the world has responded. Almost 1,400 peace activists from 42 countries, including at least eight people from Ireland, have collected tons of vital medical and food supplies and have travelled huge distances to Egypt in order to cross the border and deliver the aid to the people of Gaza. These peace activists are now stranded in Cairo and are being prevented by the Egyptian government from travelling into Gaza. They include among them Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker and Hedy Epstein, an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor, who went on hunger strike on Monday as a protest.
These courageous people bring hope to the besieged and starving people of Gaza. Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin should use all his diplomatic influence with the Egyptian authorities to allow this peace convoy into Gaza with its vital humanitarian aid, and he should also bring pressure on the Israeli government to end the illegal blockade for good. – Yours, etc,