IN PROTEST OF SIEGE, STRANDED GAZA STUDENTS HURL DIPLOMAS INTO THE SEA

Gaza City, 19 Rabi’ul Akhir 1436/9 February 2015 (MINA) – University students from the Gaza Strip on Sunday threw imitation diplomas into the Mediterranean Sea to symbolize their lost collegiate dreams, they told Ma’an.

Many students who study outside Gaza have all but given up hope of catching up with their college credits after being stranded in Gaza for months due to the closure of Egypt’s Rafah crossing with the Strip.

In response, dozens decided to throw symbolic diplomas into the sea in protest against the jointly enforced Israeli-Egyptian blockade of Gaza, Ma’an News Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

One protestor said he had “lost confidence in the humanity of the world and its human rights councils.”

Another protester, named Mansoon, said she had been admitted to a university abroad but was not able to attend given the ongoing closure of the Rafah crossing.

The protesters urged Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to prioritize their “responsibilities” toward Gaza.

Ending the devastating siege was the primary demand of Gaza militant factions as they fought Israel in a 50-day war that left some 2,200 Palestinians dead, mostly civilians.

The blockade was imposed following the victory of Hamas in the 2006 Palestinian elections and the subsequent 2007 clashes between Fatah and Hamas, which left Hamas in control of the Strip and Fatah in control of parts of the occupied West Bank.(T/R05/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)