September 29, 2013 · by palestinesolidaritycampaign | Chat2Gaza

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Hundreds of students stormed the Palestinian side of the Rafah Crossing with Egypt today, furious and desperate at being sealed off in the Strip when they have places to study at universities abroad.

The new semester began a week ago at universities across the globe but Palestinian students in Gaza who have places at these universities are at risk of losing them if they can’t leave Gaza soon.

Patients needing medical help abroad are also among those trying to leave Gaza. Around 5,500 Palestinians are on a waiting list to leave Gaza, mostly for academic or medical reasons. Last Thursday, between 50 and 60 were allowed to leave by the Egyptian authorities.

The desperation of those left behind, who travel to the border every day hoping to leave, became evident today.

Gaza has been blockaded by Israel for six years. Israel has sealed its border with Gaza, has destroyed Gaza’s airport, and also lays siege to the Strip by sea. After June, with the military ousting of Egyptian president, Muhammad Morsi, Gaza’s troubles worsened when the new Egyptian regime closed Egypt’s border with Gaza – the Rafah Crossing.

Palestinians in Gaza are now completely sealed off from the outside world. One of them is student, Shahd Abusalama, who has a place to study at a university in Turkey.

She was one of the hundreds of students who stormed the Rafah Crossing today. Like the others, she was forced back without being able to cross over to the Egyptian side.

Shahd Abusalama describes today’s ordeal:

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I arrived at the Rafah border Crossing at 7 am and returned home at 2 pm. Out of energy. Speechless. Frustrated. The angry crowd of stranded people decided to take an action and break the silence and rebel to put an end to this dehumanization process, humiliation and suffering.

After Hamas authorities announced on speakers that Rafah is closed again, a huge march of students, patients, and holders of about-to-get-invalid residencies at other countries marched to the main gate of Rafah border and clashed with the Hamas policemen.

Women were the leading force of the demonstration who motivated the angry people who have been stuck for more than a month to break into the gate and the policemen fence.

We decided that we could no longer put up with all this injustice and racism. We decided to speak up. We chanted for our right to be treated like humans, for our right to travel, to receive education. We chanted “where is the students’ right to pursue their education? We’re just travellers, not terrorists. Open the Rafah border crossing”.

Despite all the torture and humiliation I’ve been through and the tears I shed, I try to always look at the bright side.

The young women specifically and the youth generally who joined me at the demonstration and who decided to speak up for their legitimate rights were inspiring.

These are the young people who will make change, whose determination cannot be shaken, who don’t surrender and refuse to sit helpless and powerless waiting for other’s mercy to rescue them.