Challenging the siege from Rafah to Cyprus

Among the participants were two Palestinian mothers, Seham Mesleh and Um Hassan, who were stranded on the Egyptian side of the border before the Rafah border wall was downed in January 2008. "I have been taking my children amidst the dust and heat of the sun near the border with Egypt for the past seven months, hoping I could make my way back to Egypt. I am living in misery; haram (a sin), that my four children are suffering that way. During this time they got ill, with me alone taking care of them," said Um Hassan angrily.

Seham Mesleh, had a similar reaction, explaining as tears welled in her eyes that "I am a Palestinian woman and my husband is also Palestinian. He has worked for the past year in the United Arab Emirates, but when he came back to Egypt he stayed away from his children during the summer holiday. It's haram that we live away from each other for more than seven months now."

Surrounded by a crowd of women and children, she added that "I appeal to [Egyptian] President Husni Mubarak, to his wife Mrs. Susan Mubarak and to Palestinian [Authority] President Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas] to end our suffering and allow these stranded people out as well as lift the siege on Gaza. It's haram, wallah (I swear), it's haram that my children are kept away from their father."

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