In June of 2010, Rebuilding Alliance was one of two American groups sending cargo on the Irish aid ship, MV Rachel Corrie to deliver much-needed aid to Palestinian Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs). We sent sports equipment, wheelchairs, and school supplies to Al Basma Club for the Disabled, which serves deaf and disabled young people by providing sport and recreation in North Gaza schools and gyms. Over 100 members were meant to benefit from the organization's improved capacity. Thanks to a last-minute donor, we also shipped cement to build a kindergarten for the Yebna Charitable Society and a retaining wall around the Unity Club Soccer Field in Rafah, Gaza. This shipment was our effort to send more than candy or good will to a people besieged by a devastating blockade, hence the name.

This project was part of a larger initiative led by the Free Gaza Movement to breach the blockade of Gaza by sea in a flotilla of ships carrying medical, food, and other supplies in the summer of 2010. This effort to send hope to the 1.5 million people of Gaza living under blockade came after several successful attempts to deliver aid directly by boat, by the same organization, addressing both the economic and political rights of the Palestinian people.

Our cargo was on the Irish boat, the MV Rachel Corrie, named after the 23-year old American peace activist who was killed by an Israeli military bulldozer on March 16, 2003, while protecting a home of a Palestinian family from demolition in Rafah, Gaza. The ship was to sail alongside six others in the summer of 2010’s flotilla.

Israel repeatedly said it would stop the boats, calling the campaign a "provocation intended to delegitimize Israel". But while Israel says it allows about 15,000 tons of humanitarian aid into Gaza every week, the UN says this is less than a quarter of what is needed. 

Rebuilding Alliance’s participation in the flotilla was intended to send a peaceful message to all governments that we support equal rights for all people and can achieve a great deal together across national boundaries.

Working with Irish Free Gaza, the Port Authority thoroughly inspected our boat before departure. Originally, the MV Rachel Corrie had intended to sail with six ships of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla but was unable to join them because of mechanical problems that forced it to undergo repairs in Malta so they were a day late.

Indeed, tragedy ensued when the other six ships were confronted by an Israeli naval raid in international waters on May 30, 2010. Nine Turkish passengers were killed, and several dozen other passengers were injured along with ten IDF soldiers. Due to Rebuilding Alliance's unique position, we engaged our networks to try and locate all Americans who were detained and involved the American consulate. 

The next day, on May 31, 2010, our cargo left on the MV Rachel Corrie with the crew insisting that they would continue to Gaza. Despite repeated requests by the Irish Government and others to let the ship through to Gaza, Israeli commandos boarded the ship from speed boats at around noon on June 5th, 2010, seized control, and took the ship and passengers against their will to the Israeli port of Ashdod. 

Khaled Nasrallah, one of our partners and an UNRWA social worker told us, "The children of Yebna have been waiting, as they were eager to build their kindergarten. The children in Al Basma were waiting for their toys, and the disabled were waiting for their wheelchair and sports machines. We have been all waiting to see the smiles on their faces."

Rebuilding Alliance worked carefully with the American embassy to ensure the shipment’s arrival in accordance with international maritime law. To our surprise, our request was warmly received, and we succeeded. Through this first experience with the American embassy, we learned that there was a way through the blockade, and it helped inform the rest of our work. Sadly, most of the cargo was unusable at arrival. The backpacks were fine, but the sports equipment and wheelchairs were damaged; the cement had expired the day before delivery. However, we began to learn the detailed rules and regulations that govern shipping to Gaza, leading to our successful delivery of 35,000 solar lights starting in 2015.