The Israelis can be defied. But it requires courage, especially from Arab countries, asserts

The auditorium of the Rashad Al-Shawwa Cultural Centre reverberated with applause as Joe Fallisi, the Italian tenor, finished his song. Fallisi is one of 27 foreign and Palestinian activists who arrived to Gaza last week aboard the boat "Dignity" in a blockade- busting trip organised by the Free Gaza Movement.

Palestinians attend the funeral of five Hamas fighters killed in an overnight Israeli army operation in the Gaza Strip, the most serious violation so far of a fragile truce that went into effect in June

During the three days they spent in Gaza, the activists toured the strip, inspecting the damage that two years of blockade and Israeli incursions have incurred. On Thursday, they went to Dar Al-Shifaa, the largest hospital in Gaza, where dozens of patients face death if they are not allowed to receive treatment abroad.

Iman, the wife of a heart patient, said, "I cannot believe that my husband is going to die just because they won't let him travel. His life could be saved with a simple medical procedure."

Scenes of demolished houses, destroyed olive groves, uprooted orange orchards, and filled-in wells left a profound impact on the activists. Hassan Bakr, whose farm the Israelis had destroyed, said he hoped the activists would relay what they saw to the outside world and "force Israel to stop the crimes it is perpetrating."

The foreign activists attended several events held on their honour, in one of which Palestinians performed a song in English about a patient who couldn't travel abroad for treatment.

Before leaving Gaza, the activists met representatives of the students who cannot pursue their studies abroad because of the blockade. Huweida Arraf, spokesperson for the Free Gaza Movement, told the students that their problem is a top priority and promised to tell the world about their plight.

Ihab Al-Ghosein, press spokesman for the Hamas-led Interior Ministry, said that more than 400 patients were waiting to cross to Egypt for treatment. Since the blockade was imposed on Gaza two years ago, 253 people, including an infant, died while awaiting a chance to travel abroad. He added that the number of citizens wishing to travel abroad totalled 4,628, including 1,182 women, 270 people over 60, 786 students, 199 holders of Egyptian passports, and 244 children under five. The number of people whose residencies abroad expired because of the blockade exceeded 1,700 and 300 holders of foreign passports were unable to leave the strip, Al-Ghosein pointed out.

Mairead Corrigan-Maguire, who won a Nobel Peace Price in 1976 because of her efforts to bring peace to Ireland, was among the activists who came to Gaza. She said that her aim was to meet people and share their worry, as well as break the international silence over what is going on in Gaza because of the blockade. "I also wanted to see for myself how people live so I can tell people around the world of the situation and urge the international community to step into its responsibility," she added.

Corrigan-Maguire urged the Palestinians to regain their unity and rise above their current divisions. "The Palestinians have suffered enough... We cannot accept Israel's confiscation of Palestinian land, or its destruction of their homes, or its building of settlements, or the racist way in which it treats Palestinians," she said. The Irish Nobel laureate added that she would come again to Gaza if she had to. "I am not a sea lover and was exhausted by the trip. But I will come back if the blockade continues."

Jamal Al-Khodari, an anti-blockade activist, said that the next step would be to rent a plane and bring it to Gaza, thus challenging the blockade from the air just as it had been challenged from the sea and the land. "The Palestinians have the right to use their airspace just like everyone else," he stated.

Al-Khodari said that an international parliamentary delegation from Arab, European, and Asian countries was planning to visit Gaza across Rafah. He voiced the hope that the Egyptian authorities wouldn't try to stop the delegation.

Hamas was elated by the boat's daring visit. Fawzi Barhoum, official Hamas spokesman, said that the arrival of Dignity is proof that the blockade can be challenging. "It is possible to end the blockade of Gaza if the Arabs take an official and effective stand," he added.

The breaking of the blockade is a humanitarian, ethical, and national duty, Barhoum said. He called on Egypt to open the Rafah border crossing and show sympathy with "the suffering of one and half million Palestinians."

In an unprecedented move to help the population cope with the blockade, a food bank has just opened its doors to the public. Adel Rizq, executive director of the Civil Agency for Family Care, said that the bank was going to provide free food to the needy. Those who need this kind of help would be identified and provided for, he noted.

weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/921/re2.htm