Submitted by crinadmin on
[SIDON, 3 December 2008] Palestinian children in the Southern refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh protested Tuesday in solidarity with their fellow children who are living under Israeli siege in the Gaza Strip. Dozens of children participated in the protest, which fell within the "Week of solidarity with the Palestinian people," organized by Hamas. "We the children of Ain al-Hilweh, the children of Palestine demand an end to the siege over Gaza and urge all Arabs and Muslims to rise and help their brothers," said a Palestinian boy. One of the protesters portrayed the agony of Palestinian children in Gaza by playing the role of a sick child suffering amid a shortage in medicine. Other children wore loaves of bread as masks to protest against hunger in Gaza. Women affiliated with Hamas said in a statement which was distributed at the protest that the Israeli siege was aimed at pressuring the Palestinian people to abandon the resistance. "We urge the international community to stand by the Palestinian people and work on facilitating the flow of food and medication to Gaza," they said. Hamas' representative in Sidon, Abu Ahmad Fadl, said the Palestinian cause would continue to be the center of attention for all Palestinian refugees. Meanwhile, hundreds of Lebanese students demonstrated in Beirut in support of Palestinians under siege in the Gaza Strip. Nearly 2,000 students marched toward the UN headquarters in Downtown Beirut on Tuesday morning. They gathered for about 30 minutes outside the building where they sang resistance songs before dispersing peacefully. Further Information: ** OPT: Gaza crossings from Isreal remain closed, UN report (03/12/2008) ** OPT: Health professional Action: Crushing the Right to Health in Gaza (24/11/2008) ** More on children's rights in the oPt