| 05 ינואר 2009
The Free Gaza Movement began in the Fall of 2006 with a simple idea: Instead of waiting for the world to act, we would sail to Gaza ourselves, and directly challenge the Israeli siege ourselves. For almost two years, Free Gaza activists in Australia, Britain, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Lebanon, Palestine, and the United States worked to raise money, locate ships and crew, and train and organize for our first attempt to break through Israel’s blockade. By August 2008 we were ready, and we sailed to Gaza in two, small, wooden fishing boats: the FREE GAZA and the LIBERTY. 
Since then we have continued to sail to besieged Gaza, bringing in human rights workers and lawyers, journalists, academics, and parliamentarians, as well as several tons of desperately needed humanitarian aid. We are students and teachers, human rights observers and aid workers, lawyers, medics, activists - parents and grandparents. We are of all ages and backgrounds, from countries all across the world. We will go to Gaza again and again and again. We have not and will not ask for Israel’s permission. It is our intent to overcome this brutal siege through civil resistance and direct action.
We will continue to challenge Israel's illegal closure of the Gaza Strip and collective punishment of its civilian population until the Israeli siege is forever broken and the people of Gaza have free access to the rest of the world.
Timeline & Details of each Journey
1st) August 23-29 , 2008 - Our Historic First Voyage44 passengers from 17 countries sailed to Gaza. Among them Musheir El-Farra, a Palestinian human rights activist originally born and raised in Khan Younis in Gaza but currently living in Sheffield, UK, who stated that: "For the first time in my life, I went to Gaza without being humiliated, without having to ask Israel for permission. We did it. We finally did it. And now others must join us and do it as well."
Read more... for details of our first journey and a complete passenger list
2nd) October 28 - November 1, 2008 - The Second Breaking of the Siege
27 passengers from 12 different country came aboard for our second voyage to Gaza, including Palestinian legislator Mustapha Barghouti, Nobel Laureate Mairead Maguire.
According to Gaza human rights activist Fida Qishta, "This second breaking of the siege means a lot, actually. It's the second time in two months that people have come to Gaza without Israel's permission, and that tells us that Gaza will be free."
Read more... for details of our second journey and a complete passenger list
3rd) November 8-11, 2008 - Parliamentary Delegation
24 passengers, including 11 past and present European parliamentarians, sailed with us on our third voyage to Gaza, along with over a ton of medical aid.
“We’re thankful that we were able to deliver these badly needed medical supplies,” said Dr. Arafat Shoukri, “however, the unfortunate truth is that these supplies are only symbolic. Until the siege ends once and for all, innocent people will continue to unnecessarily suffer and even die.”
Read more... for details of our third journey and a complete passenger list
4th) December 8-11, 2008 - "Student" Delegation
Professors Mike cushman and Jonathon Rosenhead of BRICUP joined us for our fourth trip to Gaza, helping to bring out 11 university students who had been denied exit by Israel.
The two professors stated that: "This siege is an affront to any idea of academic freedom or human rights. How can anyone justify preventing young people from fulfilling their potential and learning how to serve their community more fully?"
Read more... for details of our fourth journey and a complete passenger list
5th) December 19-23, 2008 - Qatari Delegation
On December 19, the Free Gaza Movement returned to Gaza once again, this time with two envoys from the Qatari Eid charity. With this historic journey, Qatar became the first Arab nation to ever break the siege of Gaza. Alze Al-Qahtani, one of the Qatari envoys, declared: "This is just the beginning..."
Read more... for details of our fifth journey and a complete passenger list
6th) December 29/30, 2008 - The Ramming of the Dignity
In response to the Israeli massacres in Gaza at the end of December 2008, the Free Gaza Movement sent an emergency delegation to besieged Gaza. Aboard the ship were over 3 tons of medical supplies, 3 surgeons , Dr. Elena Theoharous, a member of the Cypriot Parliament, and Cynthia McKinney, former U.S. congresswoman and Green party presidential candidate. The Israeli navy rammed our ship three times, almost sinking it.
According to Caoimhe Butterly, our Gaza co-coordinator, "The gunboats gave us no warning. They came up out of the darkness firing flares and flashing huge flood lights into our faces ... They rammed us three times, hitting the side of the boat hard. We began taking on water and, for a few minutes, we all feared for our lives."
Read more... for details of our sixth journey and a complete passenger list
7th) January 12-15, 2009 - The Spirit of Humanity
Immediately following the ramming of the Dignity, the Free Gaza Movement secured a new boat, the Spirit of Humanity, and attempted another emergency mission to besieged Gaza. Aboard the ship were 36 passengers and crew, representing 17 different nations.
Delegation leader Huwaida Arraf said that, "We cannot just sit by and wait for Israel to decide to stop the killing … When states and the international bodies responsible for taking action to stop such atrocities chose to be impotent, then we--the citizens of the world--must act. Our common humanity demands nothing less."
Read more... for details of our seventh journey and a complete passenger list
Future Voyages
In our initial challenges to the siege of Gaza, the Free Gaza Movement used three separate ships: the motor vessel (MV) Free Gaza, the MV Liberty, and the MV Dignity. The Free Gaza and Liberty ships are small, wooden fishing vessels, and are unable to regularly sail to Gaza. The Dignity was attacked by the Israeli navy, causing considerable damage to the vessel.
While our initial crossings in these vessels were significant in a symbolic way, we are now determined to increase our efforts to bring substantial support to the people of Gaza. This is a critical objective, both to meet immediate humanitarian needs, and also to help empower Palestine to have control over its own future, and to help facilitate the reconstruction of Gaza by bringing in essential building materials currently being denied access through the land crossings with both Egypt and Israel.
In May 2009 we will sail the HOPE FLEET, a flotilla of passenger and cargo ships, to besieged Gaza in our strongest challenge to the Israeli blockade to date. We will go to Gaza again and again and again until this terrible siege is shattered forever.
Read more... about the HOPE FLEET
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