Israel’s war on Gaza from Dec 27, 2008 to Jan 18, 2009, made more than 100,000 people homeless. Both Israel and Egypt had closed the borders to Gaza, preventing all aid from coming in.
British Member of Parliament George Galloway broke the siege of Gaza with a 2 mile long humanitarian aid convoy in early 2009. They entered through the Rafah gate on the Gaza/Egypt border. The same gate that is still used to control traffic to and from Gaza in 2024.
The first convoy drove in on March 9, 2009 with over 200 vehicles intended for use in Gaza. Among these were a fire engine donated by the British Fire Brigades Union, twelve ambulances, a fishing boat and trucks full of medicines, tools, clothes, blankets and gifts for children.
The story of an international campaign to bring aid to Gaza and break the blockade is inspiring at this time - and here is the audio from a film I made of a talk given by George Galloway in Berkeley, CA, in 2009.
At the end of May, 2009, the Middle East Children’s Alliance in Berkeley, CA, held a fundraiser with the British Member of Parliament George Galloway. They invited me to record the event. Here are excerpts from my radio program:
DATE: May 20, 2009 CREDIT: Middle East Children’s Alliance