Kia Ora Gaza is a New Zealand organisation that delivers aid and raises awareness of the humanitarian plight faced by Palestinians.
The group recently hosted peace campaigners Yousef Al Jamal a Palestinian refugee, writer and blogger and Miko Peled, a former Israeli soldier and son of one of Israel's most influential zionist family's.
Peled know's only too well the great cost of what he describes as Israel's oppression of Palestine.
In 1997 his niece was killed by a suicide bomber in Jeruselum, Peled's written about his family’s transformation from Zionist leaders to proponents for Palestine in his book 'The General's Son'.
Yousef Al jamal was born and bred in a refugee camp and has become an influential figure in the Palestinian peace movement, most recently translating the book 'The Prisoner's Diaries' to much acclaim.
Surprisingly Immigration New Zealand initially declined AlJamal's visa application to visit New Zealand for the conference.. But that didn’t deter him.
Annabelle Lee-Harris was fortunate enough to speak to the visiting peace advocates.