Palestinians and foreign peace activists held a sit-in strike to demand the immediate opening of Gaza’s northern Karni crossing.

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the restricted-use bulk goods crossing holding banners calling for an end to Israel’s three-year blockade on the Gaza Strip.

Jamal al-Khoudary, head of the Popular Committee Against the Siege that organized the protest, condemned as "false," Israeli claims that the occupation is "easing the siege."

According to a report by the Palestinian import monitoring agency Paltrade, the Karni crossing was open for 17 days during the 2-month period of April and May — only 34% of its scheduled operating hours.

Before 2007, more than 10,000 truckloads of goods entered through this crossing per month, whereas only 693 truckloads entered the Strip via Karni during the month of April, the report noted.

However, al-Khoudary said the move was nothing more than "messages to the media so that the international community would reduce pressure on Israel, after the massacre it committed on the Freedom Flotilla."

"Is the world waiting for more than this? The reality is that Gaza is at risk, whether with respect to health, environment, human or social sectors, with horrible outcomes," the politician said.

There will be no end to the siege, if all the crossings are not opened to permit easy flow of goods into the Gaza Strip, including raw materials for industrial use, cement and construction materials.

Also, said al-Khoudary, there should be a safe corridor between Gaza and the West Bank for the residents. The maritime corridor should also open, but under European supervision.

(Press TV)