FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Israeli Gunboats Came out of the Darkness and Rammed us Three Times

For more information, please contact:
(Gaza) Ewa Jasiewicz, +972 598 700 497 /  freelance@mailworks.org
(Cyprus) Lubna Masarwa +357 99 081 767 /  lubnna@gmail.com
(Lebanon) Caoimhe Butterly +961 70 875 727 /  sahara78@hotmail.co.uk
 http://www.FreeGaza.org

(Lebanon, Tuesday 30 December) - Today the Free Gaza ship "Dignity"
carefully made its way to safe harbor in Tyre, Lebanon's southern-most
port city, after receiving serious structural damage when Israeli warships
rammed its bow and the port side. Waiting to greet the passengers and crew
were thousands of Lebanese who came out to show their solidarity with this
attempt to deliver volunteer doctors and desperately needed medical
supplies to war-ravaged Gaza. The Lebanese government has pledged to
provide a forensic analysis of what happened in the dark morning, when
Israel rammed the civilian ship in international waters, and put the
people on board in danger of losing their lives.

The Dignity, on a mission of mercy to besieged Gaza, was attacked by the
Israeli Navy at approximately 6am (UST) in international waters, roughly
90 miles off the coast of Gaza. Several Israeli warships surrounded the
small, human rights boat, firing live ammunition around it, then
intentionally ramming it three times. According to ship's captain Denis
Healy, the Israeli attack came, ""without any warning, or any
provocation."

Caoimhe Butterly, an organizer with the Free Gaza Movement, stated that,
"The gunboats gave us no warning. They came up out of the darkness firing
flares and flashing huge flood lights into our faces. We were so shocked
that at first we didn't react. We knew we were well within international
waters and supposedly safe from attack. They rammed us three times,
hitting the side of the boat hard. We began taking on water and, for a few
minutes, we all feared for our lives. After they rammed us, they started
screaming at us as we were frantically getting the life boats ready and
putting on our life jackets. They kept yelling that if we didn't turn back
they would shoot us."

Cynthia McKinney, former U.S. congresswoman and Green Party presidential
candidate, was traveling to Gaza aboard the Dignity in order to assess the
impact of Israel's military onslaught against the civilian population of
the Gaza Strip. According to McKinney, "Israeli patrol boats...tracked us
for about 30 minutes...and then all of a sudden they rammed us
approximately three times, twice in the front and once in the side...the
Israelis indicated that [they felt] we were involved in terrorist
activities."

The Dignity departed from Larnaca Port in Cyprus at 7pm (UST) on Monday 29
December with a cargo of over 3 tons of desperately needed medical
supplies donated to Gaza by the people of Cyprus. Three surgeons were also
aboard, traveling to Gaza to volunteer in overwhelmed hospitals and
clinics. The ship was searched by Cypriot Port authorities prior to
departure, and its passenger list was made public.

Israel's deplorable attack on the unarmed Dignity is a violation of both
international maritime law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,
which states that "the high seas should be reserved for peaceful
purposes."

Delivering doctors and urgently needed medical supplies to civilians is a
just such a "peaceful purpose." Deliberately ramming a mercy ship and
endangering its passengers is an act of terrorism.

CALL the Israeli Government and demand that it immediately STOP attacking
the civilian population of Gaza and STOP using violence to prevent human
rights and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people.

Mark Regev in the Prime Minister's office at:
+972 2670 5354 or +972 5 0620 3264
 mark.regev@it.pmo.gov.il

Shlomo Dror in the Ministry of Defence at:
+972 3697 5339 or +972 50629 8148
 mediasar@mod.gov.il

Major Liebovitz from the Israeli Navy at:
+ 972 5 781 86248

###
The Free Gaza Movement, a human rights group, sent two boats to Gaza in
August 2008. These were the first international boats to land in the port
in 41 years. Since August, four more voyages were successful, taking
Parliamentarians, human rights workers, and other dignitaries to witness
the effects of Israel's draconian policies on the civilians of Gaza.
 http://www.FreeGaza.org