Coming on the heels of Israel’s bombing of Gaza, is Israel’s continued refusal to end the vicious blockade and allow basic supplies into the very place they are destroying.

There are organizations that are taking things into their own hands, but not without risks. From the AP:

“We were prevented from entering Gaza … by Israeli patrol boats that tracked us for about 30 minutes. They shone their spotlight on us and then all of a sudden they rammed us approximately three times, twice in the front and once in the side,” said former U.S. Representative Cynthia McKinney who was aboard the boat.

“Communications from the Israelis indicated that we were involved in terrorist activities … I presume that’s why they rammed our boat,” she added.

The boat’s British captain, Denis Healey, said the Israeli action came “without any warning, or any provocation.” Organizers said the boat was in international waters – 90 miles off the coast of Gaza – when the Israeli navy intercepted it.

And what did this horrible boat of death hold? Bombs? Guns? Explosives? Eh, not so much:

Almost 4 tons of Cypriot-donated medical supplies, including surgical equipment and antibiotics, as well as 16 passengers from the U.S., Cyprus, Britain, Australia, Ireland and elsehwhere, organizers said.

A nation/state actively denying human beings access to medical supplies is not “defending” oneself–it’s committing human rights atrocities. Turning people bring medical supplies to those in need into ‘terrorists’ is inhumane and echos what is being done in the U.S. to medical professionals who try to help undocumented immigrants.