Palestinian sources have confirmed that a delegation led by the Secretary General of the Arab League, Dr Nabil al-Arabi, has crossed into the Gaza Strip from Rafah. The delegation includes the Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and other Foreign Ministers of the Arab League.
The distinguished delegation was welcomed at the border by representatives of the Gaza government. They called for the development of bold and responsible actions to provide protection for the Palestinian people and sanctuaries against Israeli aggression.
“This high-level delegation has brought a message of political and humanitarian solidarity,” said Mushir Al Masry, a leading Hamas official at the welcome ceremony. “This emphasises the depth of feeling among Arabs and Muslims for the Palestinian issue, and indicates a definite shift in the Arab and Islamic stance.” He called the visit a “victory for the resistance” which “does not defend the Palestinian people alone; it defends them and the Palestinian issue on behalf of all Arabs and Muslims.”
It was stressed that the visit represented an expression of Muslim and Arab unity and is a powerful response to the American and European bias towards Israel. It was also asserted that any aggression against Gaza was aggression against Cairo and Ankara.
The delegation is scheduled to tour the Gaza Strip before leaving this evening. It is expected to go to the Shifa Hospital as well as to a number of bereaved families, including the surviving Al-Dalou family and relatives of Ahmed Al-Jabari.