European politicians set sail to see 'horrific' Gaza

Eleven European politicians set sail to Gaza from Cyprus on Friday on a mission aimed at breaching the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip and assessing the humanitarian crisis in the impoverished territory.

Members of parliament from Britain, Ireland, Switzerland and Italy left the tiny Mediterranean island on a boat arranged by peace activists of the U.S.-based Free Gaza Movement.

"This is an historic time as we have European members of parliament going to Gaza to draw international attention to Israel's collective punishment of 1.5 million Palestinians," said Lord Nazir Ahmad, Labor member of Britain's House of Lords and head of the delegation.

British MP Claire Short, a former minister in Tony Blair's government, said: "We want to witness the living conditions of these people, challenge the siege, and challenge the failure of our governments to uphold the Geneva convention."

"The whole of the EU is colluding to what is taking place in Gaza to our shame," she added.

"There is nothing like seeing what's happening on the ground, it's horrifying," British politician Baroness Jennifer Tonge said.

"To see what humiliation Palestinians go through is just incredible and I don't know how they can stand it on a day-to-day basis," Tonge added.

"Don’t have anything"

The parliamentarians said they expected to arrive in Gaza early on Saturday. It is the third time the Free Gaza Movement has sailed from Cyprus to Gaza since August, defying Israel which patrols waters off the coastal strip.

They are taking a tonne of medical supplies and three medical scanners used for spinal injuries, said Arafat Shoukri, 37, a doctor based in Britain.

"We are taking very basic medical supplies like paracetamol and painkillers. We were shocked when we got the list from the Health Ministry in Gaza, it means they don't have anything," Shoukri said.

International aid agencies, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, have said virtually no medical supplies were reaching Gaza.

Once they dock in Gaza, the politicians plan to visit hospitals to deliver the supplies and meet with some of the 700 students who have been denied the right to leave Gaza and study at universities that have accepted them.

The politicians are making the voyage because they said Egypt had refused access to Gaza across its border to 53 international parliamentarians and that the only way they could reach the territory was by boat.

"We were going to witness the living conditions in Gaza. We were not allowed through the Rafah crossing so we are going by boat because it is the only way to get in," Short said.

Israel has previously warned activists not to enter the closed military zone it maintains around the Gaza Strip but has yet to obstruct any planned voyages.

Organizers of the boat shuttle said more activists would travel to Gaza in mid-December, and a boat of European musicians would travel there in January.

Israel has sealed Gaza off from all but limited humanitarian aid since Hamas drove out forces loyal to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in a week of deadly street fighting.