Arab League chief Amr Moussa on Sunday hailed the "daring step" taken by pro-Palestinian activists whose boats docked in the Gaza Strip despite a tight Israeli blockade of the Hamas-ruled territory. "The act of protest against the Gaza blockade and the solidarity shown by these pro-Palestinian activists sends a strong message highlighting the suffering endured by the people of Gaza," Moussa said in a statement.
The head of the pan-Arab body said he hoped this was the beginning of a wider movement by campaigners from around the world to express their rejection of a blockade he said violated international humanitarian law.
Two boats from Cyprus carrying 44 pro-Palestinian activists from 17 countries, including Israel, docked in the Gaza Strip on Saturday. The boats, Liberty and Free Gaza, had embarked on the 370-kilometre (230-mile) voyage from Larnaca port on Cyprus's south coast and carried 200 hearing aids for Gaza children and 5,000 balloons. |