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Gaza bound boat to visit Liverpool from:- 2 July to 4 July 2023
Handala THE City of Liverpool will host the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s boat ‘Handala’ on a European tour to raise awareness of Israel’s ongoing land, air, and sea blockade of the Gaza Strip. The boat’s tour aims to draw particular attention to the conditions faced by children in Gaza, who make up more than half of its residents. The boat is named Handala after the famous cartoon image of a refugee Palestinian child.
The boat arrived in Liverpool late on:- Sunday, 2 July 2023. On Monday, 3 July 2023, . the crew will visit the Quilliam Mosque in the afternoon and then both the crew and Musheir will be open to questions from members of the public, from 7pm, at a meeting in St Brides Church, Percy St L8 7LT. Also attending this meeting will be Eddie Scraggs, who will talk about an inspiring project in Gaza, where a medical team from Liverpool have been performing kidney transplants free of charge and there will also be a short film about a youth project in Gaza called:- "We are Not Numbers." On Tuesday, 4 July 2023, the Handala will depart around midday. Jeremy Hawthorn, from Liverpool Friends of Palestine said:- "The 16 year blockade of Gaza, has had devastating effects on the population of the territory, many of whom are refugees. Water consumption is well below the internationally recommended minimum, while electricity is frequently only available for a few hours a day. The blockade is aggravated by Israel’s regular bombing of the Gaza Strip and attacks on Gazan fishermen. Earlier this year, Israel’s bombardment of Gaza killed 49 Palestinians, including 17 children. The UN and human rights monitoring bodies have repeatedly condemned the blockade as illegal, drawing attention to its disastrous effects including on services like essential healthcare, education and sanitation, access to food, and on Gaza’s economy. The blockade has a particularly harsh impact on children, with Save the Children reporting that four out of five children in the Gaza Strip live with depression, grief and fear." Helen Marks, Secretary of Liverpool Friends of Palestine, said:- “The blockade of Gaza is illegal, immoral and barbaric. It is designed to punish and control an entire population by limiting their access to the resources required to live fulfilled lives. It needs to be brought to an end alongside Israel’s wider system of apartheid exercised over all Palestinians. The flotilla’s visit to Liverpool is an important means of raising awareness of these injustices and building pressure on our Government to take meaningful action to hold Israel to account for its violation of Palestinian rights and of international law.” After finishing its tour of Europe, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition has announced its intention to sail to the Gaza Strip in 2024. For more information visit:- PalestineCampaign.Org.
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