Occupied Palestine | فلسطين

Miles for Smiles 3 convoy geared to bring aid to Gaza

[ 19/04/2011 – 05:12 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)– Several international human rights organizations coordinating with health and humanitarian institutions in the Palestinian territories are ”working togething to give Gaza children life”, as preparations are underway for the third Miles for Smiles convoy.

”After the first and second miles for smiles missions culminated in success and were able to breach the siege wrapped around the necks of Gaza’s children, and despite the suffering and obstacles faced by the convoys and participants, we are happy once again to put smiles on the faces of the children of Gaza and give them some of the warmth and tenderness they’ve been denied,” the groups said in a fresh statement released Tuesday.

The convoy is running under the auspices of former Lebanese Prime Minister Salim Al-Hoss, who also heads the international campaign to end the siege on Gaza, with organization by Partners for Peace and Development for Palestinians in Europe in cooperation with other rights groups, including the UN Relief Works Agency and the Red Cross.

It is expected to depart for the Gaza Strip between April 20-26, 2011, according to the responsible parties and specifically targets the medical needs of Gaza children, as that has been severely affected by the Israel siege on the tiny enclave for the past four years.

Organizers have been in close contact with the Egyptian Foreign Ministry to arrange for the convoy’s entry and avoid procedural obstacles.

They have also coordinated with the Gaza Ministry of Health to identify the specific needs of the Strip’s residents.

Miles for Smiles 2, which included 45 activists from Europe, managed to enter the Strip in August 2010 and remained there for an entire year to survey the reality in Gaza. The first convoy carried out its mission in 2009.

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