Gaza paralympians escape siege to visit al-Aqsa mosque for first time

The Palestinian athletics coach Mousa Qadoum was so overcome by emotion upon entering the al-Aqsa mosque yesterday that he collapsed into silent tears.

It was a reminder of how rare it is for Gazans make it out of the territory to what for Muslims is easily the most sacred site in the Holy Land, a mere 48 miles away as the crow flies. After crouching alone by a pillar to compose himself, a still tearful Mr Qadoum, 31, from the eastern Gaza City suburb of Shejaia, explained: “I have only ever seen it in newspapers and on TV. I never imagined in my whole life that I would ever come to pray in al-Aqsa. I never imagined it until I die.”

It was thanks to the British Consulate General that a nine-strong party of Gazan paralympian athletes and coaches, including four competitors in London 2012, were able to make the coveted trip at all. Staff here worked hard for six weeks to persuade the Israeli authorities to grant the necessary permits for the Erez Crossing into Israel, which, eventually, they did for all except one wheelchair-bound competitor, refused on unspecified security grounds. more

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