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The humitarian convoy, Miles of Smiles, is packed with aid for children and disabled in Gaza, but is denied entry to Gaza. The convoy consist of 57 containers from 10 European countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, France, England, Germany, Switzerland and Ireland). The containers comprises 110 motor vehicles, medical supplies and equipment, hundreds of wheelchairs, including schooling supplies and 50 computers. This campaign is organized by ‘Partners for the sake of peace and development’ in cooperation with the international campaign to end the blockade of Gaza, which is headed by Dr. Salim Al Hus, the former Lebanese Prime Minister. Also the Norwegian Aid organization Innocents is participating in the project. The convoy was named ‘Miles of Smiles’ to grant smiles to the children of Gaza, especially the physically disabled. The containers arrived outside port Said in Egypt on the 13. October and with orders from the Egyptian authorities to move their convoy from Port Said to the Al Arish port and thereafter to the Rafah crossing. Still, the Egyptian Security Police did not allow the convoy to be transported through Egypt. After many requests, dialog and pressure from the Embassies, including the Norwegian Embassy in Egypt, it was allowed to transport the convoy with boats to Al Arish. When the equipment arrived at Al Arish the Egyptian Security Police said Stop! The boats filled with humanitarian aid was denied access to the harbor. Innocents is now encouraging the Norwegian society to react and show support to Gaza, and for the Foreign minister to contact the Egyptian Government and put pressure on a solution to this problem. The convoy Miles of Smiles started from Hamburg on the 28. September to help small children and disabled on the Gaza strip, and to make life a little bit easier for this group. So far the smiles haven´t reached the children of Gaza, and the convoy is still stranded outside the harbor of Al Arish which is located 40 km from the Rafah border. Updated news on the
convoy Miles of Smiles can be found on this link: http://www.gazachildren.net/en/index.php
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