The boats Free Gaza and Liberty have set sail in an attempt to break the siege of Gaza.

Gaza Under Siege: "an atrocity, a crime, an abomination" (Jimmy Carter in an April 17 speech at the American University in Cairo

Stephen Lendman in a Znet article http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/18348 succinctly puts the moral imperatives behind the Free Gaza Movement's brave sailings to the Israeli besieged Gaza Strip: "After Hamas' January 25, 2006 electoral victory, Israel targeted Gaza oppressively. All outside aid was cut off. Sanctions and an economic embargo were imposed, and the democratically elected government was falsely called a terrorist organization and isolated. Stepped up repression followed along with repeated IDF incursions, attacks, killings, targeted assassinations, arrests, destruction of property and more in a pattern all too familiar to Palestinians for over six decades. Gazans are imprisoned in their own land and have been traumatized for months. In June 2007, things got worse after Israel placed the Territory under siege - described by some as medieval because of its extreme harshness".

- another compelling reason is that the Gaza-based Popular Committee Against the Siege (PCAS) recently reported that the number of victims who have died preventable deaths as a result of unattainable medical care under the siege is 212 - the latest two victims including an 11-month-old infant and a 44-year-old father of eight. Both died after being denied permits to exit Gaza for treatment.

In their Mission Statement, the Free Gaza Movement state their case: "We want to break the siege of Gaza. We want to raise international awareness about the prison-like closure of the Gaza Strip and pressure the international community to review its sanctions policy and end its support for continued Israeli occupation. We want to uphold Palestine's right to welcome internationals as visitors, human rights observers, humanitarian aid workers, journalists, or otherwise.

Who are we?
We are these human rights observers, aid workers, and journalists. We have years of experience volunteering in Gaza and the West Bank at the invitation of Palestinians. But now, because of the increasing stranglehold of Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine, many of us find it almost impossible to enter Gaza, and an increasing number have been refused entry to Israel and the West Bank as well. Despite the great need for our work, the Israeli Government will not allow us in to do it.

We are of all ages and backgrounds. Back home, we are teachers, medics, musicians, secretaries, parents, grandparents, lawyers, students, activists, actors, playwrights, politicians, singer-songwriters, web designers, international training consultants, and even a former Hollywood film industry worker and an aviator. We are South African, Australian, American, English, Israeli, Palestinian, and more". http://www.freegaza.org/index.php?module=our_mission

What are we going to do?
We've tried to enter Palestine by land. We've tried to arrive by air. Now we're getting serious. We're taking a ship.

Join them on their trip of conscience by adding your name to https://lists.riseup.net/www/subscribe/gazafriends Receive email reports as they go, get their updates and announcements and watch streaming video now that they are on the sea.

Co founder of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Jeff Halper, in a statement powerfully sets out the reasons behind his participation (see related Link)

Scottish humanitarian Khalil al-Niss and his wife Linda Willis at the Rafah crossing barred from delivering medical supplies to Gaza

Agony without pity or respite in Gaza