Gaza — Members of the Tunisian high-level delegation, on Sunday, said on their return from the Palestinian territories that this visit is a first step towards lifting the blockade imposed by the Israeli forces on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

"This is a first step towards lifting the blockade imposed for many years on Gazans," said Mr. Samir Dilou, Minister of Human Rights and Transitional Justice at a press conference held Sunday evening at Tunis-Carthage airport.

He reviewed the various actions taken during this visit, saying the delegation members went to the bedside of wounded Palestinians at "Dar Al-Shifa" hospital in Gaza and offered condolences to the families of martyrs.

"The Tunisian delegation's visit to Gaza came to stress that the Arab Spring revolutions have made that the Palestinian cause is now that of the entire Arab nation," he added.

For his part, Minister of Social Affairs Khelil Zaouia pointed to "the political dimension" of this visit, stating that the decision taken by Tunisian and Egyptian authorities to send official delegations in the Gaza Strip "is a change in the position of Arab governments in addressing the Palestinian issue," he argued.

Arab revolutions have emphasised the need for the Palestinians to recover all their rights and have called for stopping settlements and lifting the blockade imposed on Gazans, he said.