NEWS FROM ASSEMBLYMAN DOV HIKIND
August 10, 2005
for immediate release
*****FLASH*****
12:43:42 EDT, Wed Aug 10 2005
HIKIND ENTERS GAZA ON EVE OF DISENGAGEMENT
"This is a historic tragedy for the state of Israel and all the Jewish people," said Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) as he entered Gaza to meet with residents and friends to support them during this heartbreaking stage.
"Over 9,000 people have been on the front lines of the war against terror for the last four years and now they face expulsion. More than 6,000 mortars have fallen on Gaza, targeting a civilian population. Grandmothers, mothers, fathers, and children have been killed in drive-by shootings."
Hikind led two solidarity missions to Gaza. In March of this year he was joined by two NYS Supreme Court judges and business leaders on a three-day, two-night mission to live and sleep in Gaza. They visited 22 communities in Gaza and met with victims of terror. Then, again, in June, Hikind organized a delegation of 125 individuals in a national Jewish-Christian coalition which included State Senator John Sampson (D-Brooklyn) as well as eight Baptist ministers. The group's visit was marked by heavy Qassam shellfire over three days. They visited a home in Sderot which had been seriously damaged by a Qassam rocket and whose residents were hospitalized for trauma. As they boarded buses for departure from Gaza in Gadid, the group heard the telltale whoosh of rockets and was told to immediately proceed to a shelter.
Today, Hikind returned to Gaza to support her residents. "I have to be here during their time of need. I want to walk with them and pray with them, now more than ever."