MAP Statement
31 May 2010
Statement from Medical Aid for Palestinians
31 May 2010
Medical Aid for Palestinians strongly condemns the attack on the aid flotilla this morning (31 May 2010), an attack which occurred in international waters and has resulted in the deaths of nine civilians.
The people of Gaza have been living under blockade for almost three years. The blockade means the delay or denial of a broad range of items - food, industrial, educational, medical - deemed "non-essential" for a population largely unable to be self-sufficient at the end of decades of occupation.
As the humanitarian crisis deepens, the 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza are increasingly dependent on international assistance. The relief items in this aid convoy included but a fraction of what is urgently needed in Gaza, including water purification systems, cement for rebuilding, and wheelchairs for persons with disability.
Medical Aid for Palestinians calls for an immediate and unconditional end to the blockade of the Gaza Strip. The ongoing blockade is collective punishment of an entire civilian population, a measure which is explicitly prohibited under international law.
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