The International Campaign to Break the Siege on Gaza organized, on Saturday, a mass demonstration at the Gaza port, entitled “Open Gaza’s Ports,” to demand the lifting of the siege on the Strip, in conjunction with several international capitals.
The participants raised the Palestine Declaration and raised banners calling for breaking the siege before organizing a naval march for the same goal.
The head of the government media office, Salama Marouf, said that the Gaza Strip is a large prison that houses more than 2 million and 300 thousand citizens, who have been subject to siege for more than 17 years.
He stressed in his speech that the stand inside the port came about because ports represent in all countries, as it means a state of openness, freedom, and access to the outside world, which the occupation prevents with its continuous siege of the Strip.
He pointed out that the partners in lifting the siege are holding activities on the other side of the sea, to demand an end to the siege and the opening of the ports, as a continuation of all campaigns and efforts to lift the siege on Gaza, to end the suffering of an entire generation that was excluded from the outside world by the siege.
Marouf said that the siege had repercussions on all sectors, including the health sector, as the occupation prevents more than 6,000 patients annually from going out for treatment through the Beit Hanoun crossing.
He pointed out the prevention of cases of oncology and heart patients who need therapeutic interventions, which puts their lives in danger, noting that preventing the occupation caused more than 400 patients to lose their lives.
He explained that the blockade caused the loss of approximately 43% of the medicines within the Ministry of Health and more than 25% of medical consumables.
In addition to preventing the entry of dozens of diagnostic and medical devices, and preventing the entry of spare parts for dozens of medical devices that have stopped working.
He also pointed out the repercussions of the blockade on the economic sector, as it caused the industrial sector’s production in the gross domestic product to decline to only about 1% after it had contributed 5.7% of the output.
Maarouf stated that more than 2,500 facilities and factories were completely or partially destroyed during the past years, causing great suffering.
The occupation also prevented more than 1,200 raw materials, in addition to impeding the export movement, which represents an important resource for the Palestinian economy.
He pointed to the suffering that fishermen are going through, as the number of workers in this sector has increased to 2,000 from about 5,000, as a result of the policy of restricting access practiced by the occupation on fishermen, the confiscation of their tools and boats, and the violations practiced against them constantly.
He pointed to the repeated destruction by the occupation of infrastructure, including sanitation and electricity supplies, as the occupation continued to thwart all projects that were being worked on to solve the electricity problem and prevent the introduction of what municipalities need to develop water and sanitation networks.
He spoke about the rise in unemployment rates until they reached the general level of 47%, and among young graduates it reached 75% of the 162,000 graduates out of nearly 300,000 unemployed.
Marouf called for lifting the siege on the Gaza Strip and called on human rights organizations and the international community to work on that, after they spoke about the fact that the reality in Gaza is on the verge of becoming unlivable.
He stressed the necessity of ending the siege and stopping the occupation from its continued crimes, calling for serious intervention by all organizations of the international community to lift the siege.
He added: "Do not close the doors of hope in the face of the Palestinian people. We want in the Gaza Strip to be a symbol of construction and civilizational contribution, like all free societies and peoples."
Marouf indicated that the international campaign begins with many activities in several cities and will continue until the end of this month, and called for pressure on all parties until the siege on the Gaza Strip is lifted
Source: Maan News Agency