Nael al Kurdi was a student by day and sold falafel at night. When he was diagnosed with cancer, he traveled from Gaza to Egypt for treatment. But once the blockade was put in place, even though Nael petitioned the Israeli authorities repeatedly, he was not allowed to leave Gaza. He died as a result - he was only 21.
This story comes from a recent article by the BBC that describes life in Gaza as an "open prison". The territory's almost compete isolation is:
- destabilizing the food supply so that an increasing number of children suffer from malnutrition;
- endangering lives due lack of access to medical care and supplies; and
- creating shortages of fuel and electricity so that outages are common and hospitals experience power cuts for 8-12 hours a day.
The situation in Gaza is incredibly dire - surely there is a way for Israel to see to its security needs without creating a humanitarian and human rights tragedy! Tell Israel to ease restrictions for medical travel and supplies!
His Excellency David Ivry,
We are writing in support of easing the restrictions for travel to and from Gaza for medical and other emergencies. The situation in Gaza is very grave, and the lack of access is endangering those whose conditions might otherwise be treatable. And with conditions deteriorating at such a severe pace - the whole fabric of life is creating a setting conducive to poor health and the spread of disease.
Surely the creation of a man-made human rights and humanitarian disaster cannot be the solution to Israel's security needs. We urge you to look into the matter and make the health of the population of Gaza a priority.
