VIDEO REPORT: One week after the Palestinian-American journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, was shot dead, what do we know about what happened? And why did her work at Al Jazeera mean so much to so many? #AJStartHere with Sandra Gathmann explains. [Al Jazeera, 19 May 2022]
A Palestinian rights organization in Aotearoa New Zealand has challenged Mayor Andy Foster of Wellington City Council for his refusal to light up a local council building in the colors of the Palestinian flag.
DomPost front page. #Wellington Mayor Andy Foster vetoed a plan to light up the Michael Fowler Centre in the colours of the #Palestinianflag after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade expressed concerns about Israeli sensitivities. (Twitter post)
Councillor Tamatha Paul, a Wellington city councilor and supporter of Palestinian rights, arranged for the Michael Fowler Centre, a concert hall in the capital city, to be lit in the colors of the Palestinian flag to mark Nakba Day and as a gesture of solidarity with the Palestinian people.
In an unorthodox approach to a local issue, Mayor Foster took advice from the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) who strongly urged him to cancel the arrangement as it “could be construed as state recognition” of Palestine, and was reported as advising this “could result in complaints from the Israeli ambassador and other Israeli groups”.
Councillor Paul, commenting on the fact that the council building had previously been lit in the colors of the Ukrainian flag said, “We are more than comfortable to recognize injustices in Ukraine, but we are reluctant to show solidarity with Palestine”.
The human rights organization Justice for Palestine responded defiantly by organizing a guerrilla projection on the walls of Te Papa, Wellington’s national museum. The projection included images of the Palestinian flag and of the slain Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
Renowned AlJazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot and killed while reporting on an Israeli military raid on the Jenni refugee camp in occupied West Bank last week.
By Donna Miles, Dominion Post and Stuff, 16 May 2022
Donna Miles is an Iranian-Kiwi columnist and writer based in Christchurch.
OPINION: As I sat down last Wednesday evening to jot down ideas for this column, news came that veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, a household name in the Arab world, had been fatally shot.
Al Jazeera has accused Israel of “deliberately targeting and killing” Abu Akleh, who was wearing a clearly marked press vest. She was reporting on a military raid of Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.
The killing of Abu Akleh bubbled up lots of emotions in me. Those of us who come from the Middle East know only too well that much of our history, and the everyday violence that happens there, are shaped by imperial interests.
The Nakba continues today with Palestinian families still scattered across the globe, with most Palestinian families not having met in a single place since 1948.
Palestinian Mahmud Ebu Diyb (81), who witnessed “Nakba” meaning “catastrophe” in Arabic, to refer to 1948 expulsions by Zionist gangs in historical Palestine, holds a key to his house in Bi’r Muin town, which he and his family were forced to leave, in Beni Suheyla al-Rifaiyye town of Gaza City, Gaza on May 12, 2020. [Photo by Ali Jadallah. Anadolu Images.]
By Yousef Aljamal, Politics Today, 16 May 2022
The Palestinian mass displacement in 1948 known as the Catastrophe, or Nakba, which proceeded the creation of the state of Israel after Zionist forces depopulated 532 Palestinian villages and carried out dozens of massacres, continues to be denied by Israel today.
For the founders of Israel, these massacres and forcing between 750,000 to one million Palestinian refugees out was merely a process that happened when “the war broke out” between the Palestinians and forces from seven Arab countries, on one side, and Jewish militias, on the other. In this article, I present and debunk a number of myths about the Israeli narrative of the Nakba events and the creation of Israel.
The Electronic Intifada’s Ali Abunimah spoke to Al Jazeera English on 12 May about the killing of Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh. How countries, especially the United States and European Union states, contributed to her death because they guarantee Israel’s impunity.
Details of Nakba Day protests tomorrow – Sunday 15 May
Rallies and protests around the country will take place tomorrow to mark Nakba Day (Nakba is Arabic for “catastrophe”) which remembers the ethnic cleansing of up to a million Palestinians from their land and homes by Israeli militias in 1948.
The protest will also focus on this week’s murder of Shireen Abu Akleh and the barely believable attack on pall-bearers and mourners at her funeral yesterday.
The New Zealand government is complicit in this murder and mayhem against Palestinians through their wall of silence.
Auckland: Aotea Square at 2pm. Facebook event page here
New Plymouth: Puke Ariki Landing 2pm to 3pm. Facebook event page here
Christchurch: Bridge of Remembrance 12 noon, Facebook event page here
Christchurch speakers include:
Palestinian students Shams Elhanafy and Rawaa Elhanafy
Anglican Bishop of Christchurch Peter Carroll
Press columnist Donna Miles-Mojab
Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb
A minute’s silence will be held for Shireen Abu Akleh and everyone who has been killed in the struggle for Palestinian human rights this year.
Protests in Nelson and Napier are taking place today and the Dunedin protest took place last weekend.
In Wellington Justice for Palestine is holding a Palestinian cultural event at the Thistle Hall in Cuba Street from 1pm to 3pm. Further details on the poster below. Facebook event is here
The murder of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by Israeli occupation forces is another Israeli crime where journalists are shot in broad daylight. Shireen, 51, is a Palestinian from Jerusalem and is a long-time correspondent for Al Jazeera news network.
Shireen was known for her courageous and accurate reporting. She was as principled as she was professional.
VIDEO: Palestine Deep Dive interviews Dr Ramzy Baroud on the assassination of Shireen Abu Akleh. 12 May 2022Continue reading →
Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh, a prominent reporter for Al Jazeera who has been one of the most well-known faces conveying the current situation in Palestine in Arabic-language media for over 20 years, was shot dead in the early morning hours of Wednesday, 11 May by Israeli occupation forces invading Jenin. She was shot in the head as she wore her “Press” vest, sparking outrage at her murder and at the systematic attacks directed against Palestinian journalists.
Al Jazeera report on the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh today.
The assassination of Abu Aqleh drew comparisons to the killing of Palestinian journalist Yasser Murtaja and Ahmed Abu Hussein in Gaza during the Great March of Return in 2018, as well as the 50 Palestinian journalists killed since 2000 by the Israeli occupation. There are also dozens of Palestinian journalists held behind occupation bars, including Bushra al-Tawil, jailed without charge or trial under administrative detention. Abu Aqleh was a fixture on Al Jazeera, famed throughout the Arab region for her reporting of four wars on Gaza, the Israeli war on Lebanon, and the ongoing Palestinian liberation struggle. On many occasions, she covered the stories of the thousands of Palestinian prisoners, their families, their lives and their resistance. Indeed, her final tweet reported on the death of the mother of one of the longest-serving Palestinian prisoners, Karim Younes, only eight months before his scheduled release:
She joins a long line of Palestinian martyrs whose lives have been taken by a colonial force attempting its futile effort to defeat the Palestinian people. Her legacy, like that of all of the martyrs of Palestine, must inspire all to organize, struggle and resist for the liberation of Palestine, its prisoners and its people, and to turn our eyes to Jenin, a daily site of assassinations, extrajudicial killings, armed raids, home demolitions and relentless occupation assaults — and a daily site of an undaunted and undefeated resistance that continues to struggle for justice and freedom, to defend the land and people from colonial aggression.
The abandoned residential building adjacent to the non-existing Hanadi tower is seen through a window of a trailer used to guard the premises. (Photo: Mahmoud Nasser, The Palestine Chronicle)
By Mahmoud Nasser, Gaza, Palestine Chronicle, 11 May 2022
Anniversaries are not necessarily always associated with fear. But in the case of Palestine, this is different as some of these anniversaries are associated with war.
Over the past 14 years, Israel has launched four large-scale military offensives targeting the besieged Gaza Strip. Each war was equally horrific, equally destructive.
May 10 marks the first anniversary of the latest Israeli war on Gaza, dubbed by Israel as Guardian of the Walls and by Palestinians as The Sword of Jerusalem.
Sunday May 15 is Nakba Day – this is the day marking the ethnic cleansing of over 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and off their land by Israeli militias in 1948.
For 74 years Israel has refused to allow them to return to their homes and land in Palestine despite dozens of United National resolutions requiring them to do so.
The Nakba has continued every day since 1948 as Israel seizes more Palestinian land and creates more Palestinian refugees every day.
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa are holding Nakba Day rallys around the country – see above poster for details. Please remember to wear a mask, or kaffiyeh!Check out PSNA Facebook events page for events throughout Aotearoa/New Zealand here.
In Wellington Justice for Palestine is holding a Palestinian cultural event at the Thistle Hall in Cuba Street from 1pm to 3pm on Sunday. Further details on the poster below. Register for attendance here. Facebook event is here
(Video: duration 22 mins) Learn what Apartheid means and how it applies to Israel’s control over Palestinian lives whether located inside Israel, the occupied Palestinian territory, or the Palestinian diaspora. https://mondoweiss.net/2022/05/inside-israeli-apartheid/
For decades Palestinians have accused Israel of the crime of Apartheid, imposing two different systems on the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea: one system that that privileges Jews, and another that discriminates against Palestinians. Now, the rest of the world is catching up.
In this 22-minute video, Palestinian human rights experts break down what Apartheid means, and how it applies to Israel’s control over Palestinians, while ordinary Palestinian citizens of Israel, residents of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, and to refugees in the diaspora taking us inside their homes and towns, and tell us what it’s like being a Palestinian living under Israeli rule.
This is a look Inside Israeli Apartheid.
A Mondoweiss production, produced & presented by Yumna Patel. Filmed by Palestine Productions. Illustrations by Dahlia Attoui. Duration: 22 minutes.
New Zealand has made a concerted effort to support the Ukrainian people. But Richard Jackson and John Hobbs ask why Ukraine, and not other situations where the application of the rule of law is equally urgent?
That New Zealand has taken proactive steps and played its part in putting pressure on Russia to reverse its course, as much as a small state might do, is admirable given the horrific events unfolding in Ukraine.
New Zealand has passed legislation targeting Russian individuals, placed tariffs on Russian imports, provided military and intelligence support to its Western allies, and provided financial support to the Office of the Human Rights High Commissioner, the International Court of Justice, and the International Criminal Court (ICC). It is one of a number of states requesting that the ICC consider the atrocities against civilians in Ukraine as war crimes.
In justifying these measures, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said that the New Zealand Government is motivated by its values and rightly argues that the rule of law be applied to those who ignore it, in this case Russia. She also argues that this is the right thing to do, as it aids stability in the region.
While some might question the extent to which such measures genuinely promote stability, few would question that New Zealand has made a concerted effort to support the Ukrainian people.
However, this country’s spirited response does beg the question of why Ukraine, and not other situations where the application of the rule of law is equally urgent. The large-scale human suffering in Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Western Sahara and Palestine are equally pressing but have never been given anything like the attention given to Ukraine now.
The issue of Palestine is particularly pertinent. Its people have been subject to a harsh and illegal occupation for the past 74 years, along with military rule, land confiscations, home demolitions, invasive search procedures, occupation walls and fences, military assaults, restrictions on movement, and almost daily killings by Israeli settlers and the Israeli Defence Force.
Jerusalem: Al-Aqsa In The Snipers Scope w/ Lowkey & Dr. Ramzy Baroud, 22 April 2022
Video/podcast: UK activist rapper Lowkey is joined by Palestinian/US author Dr. Ramzy Baroud to discuss the latest Israeli attacks against al-Aqsa mosque and worshippers, the Temple Movement, media coverage and the hypocrisy of Arab countries’ responses to Israeli crimes who have made peace agreements with Israel.
Click on the above box. Campaign created by Palestinians in Aotearoa Coordination Committee
We call on the New Zealand Government to condemn the recent Israeli aggression against peaceful Palestinian worshippers and protestors in Al Aqsa Mosque.
ENGAGED PALESTINIAN LEADERS & INTELLECTUALS SPEAK OUT edited by RAMZY BAROUD and ILAN PAPPÉ. Available from https://www.fishpond.co.nz/
Book review by Lois Griffiths, The Daily Blog, 22 April 2022
OUR VISION FOR LIBERATION is a fascinating book, a beautiful book, a real treasure. Twenty-seven Palestinians, distinguished in a variety of fields, tell their narratives: who they are, what it means to be Palestinian, their efforts to keep alive knowledge of the past, and to maintain and grow their cultural heritage.
Being given the opportunity to contribute to this book has allowed the writers to say to the outside world and to Palestinian youths that, inspite of discouragingly unhelpful political leadership, freedom and liberation will come.
Mothers checked on their sons and told them to stay home Monday night in Gaza as the sound of Israeli warplanes spread terror across the sky.
After the warplanes arrived so did photos on Facebook showing people protecting their windows from breaking from the sound of bombs, as others started telling their friends the safety steps to take during wars. In Gaza, we link the holy month of Ramadan with the two devastating wars that have happened during that month. Even when nothing happens every valuable and pleasurable moment is scarred by the memories of recent years.
Webinar includes book launch of ‘Our Vision for Liberation’: These twenty-nine different accounts tell the story of the many faces of the Palestinian struggle for liberation. The stories jointly narrate an incredible tale of trauma, resilience, resurgence, struggle and redemption against all odds. From the beginning of the Zionist project, the Palestinians faced a formidable coalition that supported the colonization of their homeland and their dispossession later on.
Men and women, from inside and outside of the homeland, young and old, are presented. The impact of the 1948 catastrophe on their lives is the beginning. Their way coping with the trauma but not allowing it to define them – by rebuilding their lives combining personal ambitions of career and interest with full commitment for the liberation of Palestine. They share a vision of liberation and are a testimony that the struggle will continue relentlessly until liberation comes.
Palestinians protest against the Israeli invasion of the West Bank city of Nablus on 13 April 2022.
By Tamara Nassar, Electronic Intifada, 14 April 2022
The Israeli military has killed two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Israel in under 48 hours.
A Palestinian lawyer was killed by Israeli occupation forces during a raid in the West Bank city of Nablus on Wednesday morning while dropping his three nephews off to school.
Muhammad Hasan Assaf was fatally shot in the chest, making him the 12th Palestinian killed by Israeli fire since the beginning of the month.
Israeli prisons, where Palestinian prisoners are held, lack the minimum standards of human dignity.
Ahmad Al-Manasra is escorted by Israeli security during a hearing at a Jerusalem court on October 30, 2015. (Photo by Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images.)
By Yousef M. Aljamal, Politics Today, 13 April 2022
A video of an Israeli interrogator violently interrogating then 13-year-old Palestinian child prisoner Ahmad Al-Manasra went viral in November 2015. In the video, Al-Manasra repeatedly told his Israeli interrogator that he couldn’t remember as his interrogator screamed at him, accusing him of not telling the truth. Ahmad was referring to the day his cousin Hassan, 15, was killed in Jerusalem, and he himself was injured and left to bleed on the ground after being run over by an Israeli car.
The ramming attack took place after Israeli settlers accused both Ahmad and Hassan of attempting to carry out a knife-stabbing attack. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers cursed him, damning him to death, and the Israeli police—as seen in videos of the incident—kept watching.
The issue of Palestinian prisoners impacts every single Palestinian family, with nearly a million Palestinians arrested by Israel since 1967. By the end of February 2022, 4,400 Palestinians have been arrested by Israel, of whom 160 are children and 33 women, while 490 have been placed under administrative detention without a charge or trial.
A separate military judicial system
The Israeli occupation authorities have a separate military judicial system before which Palestinians are brought to court, unlike Israelis who live in the same area in illegal settlements in the West Bank. Palestinians brought before military courts are handed tough sentences and their conviction rates are extremely high. Since Israeli law does not allow convicting children below 14, the Israeli authorities waited for Al-Manasra to turn 14 before convicting him, handing him a sentence of 12 years. Al-Manasra’s sentence was later reduced to 9.5 years.
Following much physical and psychosocial violence, Al-Manasra’s mental health has deteriorated significantly—a process that only got worse when he was placed in solitary confinement. The Israeli Prison Service (IPS) has isolated Al-Manasra since November 2021, claiming that his mental health is not stable and putting him with other inmates might cause harm to them!
Kia Ora Gaza is an Aotearoa/New Zealand network dedicated to support international efforts to break the inhumane and illegal Israeli siege and naval blockade of Gaza by delivering humanitarian aid, fostering fraternal relations, enhancing understanding of Palestine and the Middle East, and cooperating with others who have similar aims.
Kia Ora Gaza promotes human rights, and solidarity for the people of Palestine and their struggle for justice, peace and freedom.
Our website and facebook pages underscore and promote these goals, however posts do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Kia Ora Gaza or our partners.
All forms of racism and discrimination are the antithesis of justice, peace and freedom. Kia Ora Gaza social media will not tolerate any act or discourse which adopts or promotes, among others: racism, anti-Arab racism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, sexism, xenophobia, or homophobia.
Kia Ora Gaza is a member of the international Freedom Flotilla Coalition - website: freedomflotilla.org and part of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa. Website: www.PSNA.nz
Postal address: Kia Ora Gaza, PO Box 86022, Mangere East, Auckland, New Zealand 2158.
KIA ORA GAZA PROJECTS
Kia Ora Gaza was established from a series of public meetings to organise Kiwi participation in international efforts to end the siege of Gaza & promote practical solidarity for Palestine. This followed the Israeli commando raid on the Mavi Mamara-led peace flotilla in international waters in 2010 which resulted in the deaths of 10 civilian peace activists. Since then Kia Ora Gaza has organised or supported the following projects: 1. Sent a team of 6 Kiwis on the 140-vehicle Viva Palestina international land convoy in 2010, driving and donating 3 ambulances to Gaza – part of the $7million medical aid delivered.
2. Supported Kiwi participant Harmeet Sooden to join the Canadian boat, Tahrir on Freedom Flotilla 2 to Gaza in 2011. 3. Sent a team of 4 Kiwis on the “Miles of Smiles” land convoy to Gaza with 10 tonnes of medical aid, 20124. Sent a fact-finding mission for www.kiaoragaza.net to Gaza Nov, 2012 5. Sent donations for food relief following the 2014 floods in Gaza 6. Co-organised nation-wide protests each weekend during Israel’s 50-day bombardment of Gaza in 2014 7. Transferred $25,000 to Gaza for urgent medical aid via Palestinian International Medical Aid in July 2014. 8. Sponsored an education project training young Palestinian journalists in Gaza 2015 9. Facilitated “NZ-Gaza twinning agreements” with a sports club and community centre in Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza. 10. Co-sponsored 2 ambulances for Doctors Worldwide rehabilitation centre in Khan Younis (Israeli bombing in 2014 destroyed 26 ambulances in Gaza) 11. Maintains website: kiaoragaza.net and facebook pages. 12. Co-hosted the NZ Conference on Palestine, 2013 and 2016 13. Facilitated 2 Maori TV journalists on board the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza in 2015 14. Co-hosted NZ speaking tours including: – Harry Fear (UK doco-maker) & Roger Fowler (Kia Ora Gaza) in 2013
– Jeff Halper (Director, Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions) 2013
– Miko Peled (author) 2013
– Yousef Aljamal (Palestinian commentator) 2013
– Amira Hass (Israeli Journalist, Haaretz) 2015
– Samah Sabawi (Palestinian Writer) 2015
– Emad Burnat (Palestinian Film-maker) 2016
– Ali Abunimah (founder Electronic Intifada) 2016
– Rafeef Ziadah (Palestinian poet) April 2017
– Gideon Levy (Israeli journalist) 2017
– Huwaida Arraf (Palestinian lawyer) and Justine Sachs. 2018
-Dr Ramzy Baroud (US/Palestinian author) 2018
– Dr Salman Abu-Sitta (Palestinian author) 2019
15. Aug 2016 co-hosted special Auckland screening of Emad Burnat’s documentary ‘5 Broken Cameras’
16. Sept 2016. Transferred $6000 raised in our appeal to Palestinian doco-maker Emad Burnat towards a new camera.
17. Sept 2016 facilitated Green MP Marama Davidson to join Women’s Boat to Gaza peace flotilla.
18. Feb 2017 co-hosted film screening event: “The Idol”
19. April 2017, co-hosted three-city NZ tour with Palestinian performance poet Rafeef Ziadah and musician Phil Monsour.
20. May 2017 ‘Salt Water Challenge’ solidarity actions with Palestinian hunger strikers.
21. May 2017 transferred $1000 donation to Al Ahli Sports club in Nuseirat Refugee Camp, Gaza for football equipment. 22. July 2017 transferred our EURO1000 share to the FFC Gaza fishers project via MyCare Humanitarian Care Malaysia. 23. July 2017 transferred $1000 donation to Al Ahli Sports Club, Nuseirat Refugee Camp, Gaza. 24. Sept 2017 the Freedom Flotilla Coalition delivered fishing equipment as solidarity aid to 400 Gazan fishers via MyCare, Malaysia. 25. Kia Ora Gaza co-hosted a public lecture in Auckland on 3 December 2017, by renowned Haaretz journalist and writer, Gideon Levy. 26. January 2018, Kia Ora Gaza organiser, Roger Fowler, attends the Freedom Flotilla Coalition conference in Sweden to plan the 2018 international flotilla to break the illegal blockade of Gaza. 27. Co-organised Nationwide ‘Day of Action’ for Free Palestine on Sat 3 February 2018 demanding the release of all children held in Israeli prisons. 28. Co-hosted a public meeting at Auckland Uni with US/Palestinian writer Huwaida Arraf and Justine Sachs from Dayenu: NZ Jews against Occupation, March 2018. 29. Co-organised Auckland rallies in support of Palestinian March of Return, from April 2018. 30. Co-organised a five-city speaking tour with acclaimed US/Palestinian author, Dr Ramzy Baroud. May 2018. 31. Facilitated NZ participation in the 2018 Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. Selected veteran human rights campaigner and union leader, Mike Treen to represent NZ. Co-organised NZ speaking tour with Mike Treen.
32. The 2021 Kia Ora Gaza appeal for the ‘Miles of Smiles’ solidarity convoy of 37 ambulances and medical aid for Gaza raised $NZ35,000 to sponsor one ambulance together with our Freedom Flotilla Coalition partners. FFC has postponed the next flotilla until after Covid travel restrictions are lifted.
CURRENT APPEALS
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition is organising another international peace flotilla to challenge Israel's illegal 13 year naval blockade of Gaza and for a just future for Palestine - after the Covid-19 pandemic travel restrictions have been lifted.For updates visit the FFC facebook page and website: freedomflotilla.org You can support NZ participation in this project by checking the options in the 'How to donate to Kia Ora Gaza' segment below.Appeal target: $40,000 to cover costs of our share of the purchase and upgrade of the flotilla boats, airfares and accommodation for our NZ participant.
HOW TO DONATE TO KIA ORA GAZA
Make a direct payment to our bank account: Kia Ora Gaza Trust, 03-0211-0447718-000, Westpac Bank, Onehunga branch. Afterwards, email office@kiaoragaza.net with your deposit details so we can send you an e-receipt.
Kia Ora Gaza is a Charitable Trust incorporated under the Charitable Trusts Act 1957. Registration number 2540065 However we are not registered with IRD for tax deduction purposes, as Kia Ora Gaza is deemed to be mainly an advocacy group.
FREEDOM FLOTILLA TO GAZA: DOCUMENTARY
A MaoriTV media team of senior journalist Ruwani Perera and award-winning, free-lance camera operator Jacob Bryant, returned home from reporting on the 2015 Freedom Flotilla III attempt to break the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza.
Facilitated by Kia Ora Gaza, the Native Affairs team joined other international journalists on the board the flotilla to observe and document the mission.
Thanks to all those who generously supported the Flotilla project.
Kia Ora Gaza has raised funds for many humanitarian projects, including a contribution to 10 tonnes of medical aid on Miles of Smiles convoy in 2012, $3500 for Gaza flood relief in 2013, sponsored a special education project in 2015, supported Gaza fishers project 2017 (1000Euros). Over 100,000 Palestinians were injured and over 2,100 killed during Israel’s 2014 genocidal onslaught, and their illegal siege on Gaza left the medical services without basic supplies.
Kia Ora Gaza Trust launched an urgent appeal for funds towards humanitarian relief in war-ravaged Gaza, resulting in $25,000 urgent medical aid sent to Gaza in 2014.
KIA ORA GAZA HAS CO-SPONSORED SIX AMBULANCES FOR GAZA.
Kia Ora Gaza co-sponsored two ambulances for Doctors Worlwide Gaza in 2015.
Kia Ora Gaza also donated three ambulances packed with medical aid during the 'Lifeline to Gaza' international convoy in 2010. And in 2021 KOG sent $35,000 to co-sponsor one ambulance in the Miles of Smiles solidarity convoy of 37 ambulances in 2021.
VIDEO: The manager of the Doctors World Wide Turkey services in Gaza, Mohammed Alkhatib, thanks Viva Palestina Malaysia (VPM) and Kia Ora Gaza donors for jointly sponsoring two new ambulances at their Khan Younis rehabilitation clinic. The video also shows the recently delivered ambulances in service. (Video by DWWT 21 October 2015.) CLICK HERE
Roger Fowler teaching Kiwi-English at Al Aqsa University, Gaza City.
COMING EVENTS
Kia Ora Gaza is planning future speaking tours & other events, in cooperation with Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa and PHRC. Watch this space.
Please note that the planned 2020 Freedom Flotilla to Gaza has been postponed until further notice due to the current Covid-19 global pandemic.
In June 2012, Kia Ora Gaza sent a four-person team to Gaza as part of an international aid convoy. Our Kiwi convoyers were (from left) Roger Fowler, Tali Williams, Gibran Janif and Hone Fowler. This land convoy, which left from Cairo, delivered ten tonnes of urgently needed medical supplies to health authorities in Gaza. In November 2012 Kia Ora Gaza sent Roger Fowler on a fact-finding mission to Gaza (see his reports posted Nov-Dec 2012 on this website). UK documentary-maker Harry Fear joined Roger on a speaking tour of NZ on his return.
In November 2010, six volunteers from Kia Ora Gaza joined an international land convoy which delivered NZ$7 million in medical aid to Gaza. The convoy, which left from London and was joined by other columns from North Africa and the Middle East, arrived at night in Gaza City to a rapturous welcome from Palestinian throngs.
Our fallen heros
We remember the ten humanitarians on board the Gaza aid vessel Mavi Marmara killed by Israeli commandos on 31 May 2010:
Ibrahim Bilgen
Ali Haydar Bengi
Cevdet Kiliçlar
Çetin Topçuoglu
Necdet Yildirim
Fahri Yaldiz
Cengiz Songür
Cengiz Akyüz
Furkan Dogan
Ugur Suleyman Soylemez
Kia Ora Gaza 