The “Miles Of Smiles 16” Solidarity Convoy arrived in the Gaza Strip on Saturday carrying 38 solidarity activists and medical supplies urgently needed in the besieged coastal region.Dr. Isam Yousef, coordinator of the Miles of Smiles convoy stated all convoy members from Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Lebanon and South Africa, managed to enter Gaza through the Rafah Border Terminal between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
Yousef added that medical supplies and medications, worth a million US Dollars, will be handed to hospitals and medical centers; all supplies and medications have been purchased from Egypt.
Convoy members will be staying in Gaza for several days in order to distribute the medical supplies.
Ahmad Al-Kurd, former Minister of Labor and Social Affairs in Gaza, stated that the repeated solidarity convoys are a clear indication that the Arab people and the international activists insist on challenging the illegal Israeli siege imposed on the coastal region.
Al-Kurd added that Miles Of Smiles is a main contributor in aiding the Palestinians in Gaza, “and managed to draw a smile on the faces of thousands of residents suffering under constant Israeli attacks, and Israel’s illegal siege”.
It is worth mentioning that all trips conducted by Miles of Smiles were successful in entering the Gaza Strip through Egypt, despite repeated delays conducted by the Egyptian border authority.
The first Miles of Smiles convoy made it into the Gaza Strip in mid-November 2009, after being stranded at the Egyptian side of the Rafah Border Terminal for 25 days. All Miles of Smiles convoy managed to enter Gaza despite numerous obstacles and delays.
