Palestinian Pundit

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Paralyzed children on wheel chairs are waiting at the Egyptian gate of Rafah border crossing

Photo by Mohammed Omer in Gaza

Palestinian special-needs children appeal to the world to end siege on Gaza

"GAZA, (PIC)-- A large number of Palestinian children with special needs participated Sunday in a massive march to appeal to the world's children and human rights organizations to help them to lift the unjust Israeli siege on them, carrying banners reading, "let me live like the rest of the world's children" and "world without mercy or conscience."

The march, which was organized by the education ministry in Gaza, headed to the headquarters of the world health organization, where Palestinian children handed an appeal letter to Dr. Mahmoud Dahir, the director of WHO's office.

In the same context, the popular committee against the siege warned of an imminent collapse of the health system in Gaza as a result of tightening the Israeli siege and slashing fuel quantities allowed into the Strip, which would lead to a multiple disaster.

MP Jamal Al-Khudari, the head of the committee, held the international community fully responsible for the siege on Gaza, stressing the need to provide the Palestinian wounded of the Israeli holocaust especially children and women with urgent medical treatment outside Gaza.

MP Khudari renewed his call on Egyptian leadership to allow the wounded to leave Gaza through the Rafah border crossing to receive treatment in Arab and Islamic hospitals and then return after recovery.

For his part, Dr. Atef Odwan, a member of the Hamas parliamentary bloc, warned of the seriousness of the humanitarian situation in Gaza as a result of the Israeli siege and called on the Egyptian government to open the Rafah crossing in order for Palestinians to buy their needs of fuel, food and medical supplies.

Dr. Odwan pointed out in another context that there are Arab pressures on PA chief Mahmoud Abbas to open dialog with Hamas, but they have not succeeded so far because the American influence on Abbas is stronger."