It’s been over two years since the conflict in Gaza, and over three years since the International waters and Borders surrounding this small country were closed. The sea around Gaza is heavily polluted with at least 60 million litres of raw and partially treated sewage being pumped into it every day. Gaza has been under a tightened Israeli and Egyptian blockade for over three years, with only limited humanitarian aid allowed in. The people in Gaza are still suffering from this blockade, resulting in ongoing lack of essential medical supplies, food, building materials and in fact everything that would enable the Palestinian people to lead a normal life, you will not read this in your news papers or see it on your television; most people think it’s all over now because the Israelis said that they would lift the blockade back in July of this year.

However, there are still over 5000 essential supplies banned from being sent into the region, depriving the people from having the basic needs to enable them to have a normal life, only items like chocolate bars and non-essential things that are so expensive, are allowed in, and the people can’t afford to buy them.

With some 1.5 million inhabitants in this small land, conditions are dire, and as each day goes on, more and more children are suffering from malnutrition, internal organ failure, anaemia, acute psychological damage, bed-wetting, nightmares, tantrums, obsessive aggression disorder and lack of concentration (affecting their education). Some children are so traumatised that they have lost the ability to speak. The list is endless.

The “Friends of Gaza” are looking for your help to further enable us to work within Gaza and help the children, I have been back to Gaza three times now and nothing has changed, even now Gazans find themselves without electricity as they go through another winter – Gaza’s main power plant has two turbine generators and only one of them works due to fuel shortages – Israel refuses to allow diesel into Gaza, which has been under an all-out Israeli blockade since 2007.

” we will not give up on these people”

Over the past 60 years the Palestinian People have continually suffered. Let us help today’s children now – to have a better life and a happier future. Without taking sides or getting into the politics of the situation, one thing is clear and that is, that the children who are living through and getting maimed in this quagmire of hatred, on both sides, are the ones who will be suffering the most when peace hopefully comes back to the region.

Let us remember one of our all-important Principles “The Brotherhood of Man”.

“We just need to reach out and touch another’s soul and communicate: We can all do it. we just have to want to do it”