South African’s continue to respond to call for humanitarian aid in Gaza

South African’s continue to respond to call for humanitarian aid in Gaza

Gaza’s people say, they are being pushed to reject Hamas and surrender to Israel.

By Tahir Sema

On the 18th of February 2009 the South African Relief Agency (S.A.R.A) embarked on a journey to respond to the call for humanitarian aid in Gaza.

Soon after the attacks on Gaza began in December 2008, various organizations and individuals combined efforts to form S.A.R.A (South African Relief Agency).

S.A.R.A’s chief coordinator Walid El Saadi was positive of the mission’s success, stating “they will be delivering aid in the form of vital medication, surgical supplies and basic prosthetics. Over 6000 people are in dire need of medical assistance and although S.A.R.A’s aid mission is one of several hundred, they believe that the demand is still very great”.

Representatives part of this mission were made up of the following people: Sheikh Walid El Saadi SARA co-ordinator, Moulana Yusuf Bux -Secretary General of Jamiatul Ulama KZN, Mr Mahomed Afzal Abba - Human Rights Attorney, Mrs Shamshad Sayed and Mrs Bibi Hajira Sayed of ITV.

“The cameras have left Gaza and so too has humanity and legality. Away from the spotlight, Gaza is being strangulated and left to die.

The intensity with which the siege is now being enforced is shameful and humiliating. It is an indictment on humanity, that it allows Gaza’s neighbours to further isolate, suffocate and strangulate the people of Gaza who are in dire need of urgent supplies of food, drinking water, shelter , medicine, building and medical equipment , following 23 days of barbaric Israeli bombings on the civilian population in Gaza.

Clearly, political designs and manipulations underpin the new and brutal isolation of Gaza. The people of Gaza express that they are being pushed to reject Hamas and capitulate to Israel and its cronies or left to starve and die!” Shamshad Sayed of ITV.

Their mission had taken the team to a stadium now used as a storage facility in Egypt, some forty kilometres from the Rafah border crossing, managed by The Red Crescent and the World Food Programme. At both these facilities they witnessed stockpiles of perishable goods lying open in the sun as well as urgent humanitarian aid donated specifically for the people of Gaza, precious aid, perishing by the day.

These vital humanitarian supplies lay undelivered for many months, as the Rafah border crossing which is controlled by the Egyptian authorities remains closed, despite international pressure to have the border crossings opened. The Rafah border crossing is Gaza’s only hope for survival, as it is the sole entry and exit point to the outside world.

After passing several checkpoints, and having received permission by the border post officials on the Egyptian side to proceed to Gaza, some twenty metres out of Egypt, the humanitarian group was indecently stopped by a border police who refused them entry, stating that the border was open only to Palestinians. According to the team this was not the case, as many Palestinians were turned back or asked to pay ludicrous exit or entrance taxes.

Apart from delivering aid, the aim of the mission was to assess various humanitarian projects, including the prefabricated housing project that’s currently being rolled out to the distressed residents of Gaza that have lost their homes. This prefabricated system was developed in Turkey and the roll out of homes has so far been a remarkable success.

S.A.R.A had hoped to enhance the efforts of other countries that have already begun the delivery of these housing shelters and vital humanitarian supplies. “By embarking on the Gaza Housing Project, we can return the lost dignity of Gazans”, says El Saadi.

Based on a report by the Union of Construction Workers in Gaza, the natural population growth in Gaza requires the building of 5000 homes per year. In the last 2 years the actual number of homes built has been ZERO. The housing problem has worsened by the senseless December 2008/January2009 bombings. 4100 buildings and homes have been totally destroyed and 17000 buildings/ homes were partially destroyed.

“It is important to provide sustainability as far as possible, to allow Gazans to regain their independence.” says Moulana Yusuf Bux.

After intense negotiations with officials S.A.R.A volunteers were only allowed to visit the Palestinian Crescent Hospital in Egypt, under heavy guard for a brief period; they witnessed first hand, how the Israeli atrocities have affected the lives of the people of Gaza. On arriving at the hospital the team was met with horrific scenes, which have left permanent damage on Gaza’s frail, woman and children.

“The nature of the injuries to the civilian population is evidence that Israel intended to cause maximum suffering, humiliation , subjugation, and a painful death. Just as humanity cannot forget the holocaust , so too should the world’s humanity not forget the massacre of Gaza done brazenly and with impunity in full view of a `paraplegic’ world” Shamshad Sayed.

The humanitarian team S.A.R.A waited for two days at the Rafah border crossing to gain access to the war torn Gaza strip, until they undesirably had to return back to Cairo Egypt, were they had established a corridor with various credible institutions such as the Red Crescent and others, for the safe passage of aid relief and prosthetic limbs from South Africa.

Sheikh Walid is currently deadlocked in negotiations with the Egyptian Government to allow S.A.R.A into the Gaza strip as soon as possible to deliver aid on a regular basis. The mission for now has been postponed, but will continue as soon as Egyptian authorities allow the South African Relief Agency to do so.