MIDDLE EAST: Ms Mary Kelly, a nurse from west Cork, and nine other international peace activists entered the besieged Church of the Nativity yesterday afternoon.
The 10 slipped into the Door of Humility into the precincts of the church while Israeli troops guarding the entrance were distracted by a demonstration staged by 13 other members of the International Solidarity Movement carrying placards denouncing the Israeli occupation.
The action was co-ordinated with some of the 178 Palestinians who have been held in the church for the past month.
Each member of the two teams of five who gained entry carried food and other critical supplies needed by the Palestinians who have not been allowed sufficient food since taking refuge in the church.
Ms Kelly, the only volunteer with medical experience, told The Irish Times on a mobile phone: "Conditions here are very, very primitive. I don't know what the whole situation is because we have only been here a few hours. The place is lit by candles. We are going to sleep the night in the Grotto of the Nativity," marked by a silver star set in a marble slab in the floor.
She added: "It's wrong to say that we are being held against our will by terrorists, as the Israelis claim. We were warmly welcomed by the people in the church. We are here of our own free will."
An Irish Red Cross fact-finding mission led by Mr David Andrews TD has left for the Middle East. The mission will visit Jenin, Bethlehem and Ramallah.
