From Greece, A Message In A Bottle Reaches Isolated Gaza

"A message in a bottle washed ashore this week in Gaza."

"'Hello! Thank you for picking up this bottle!' began the letter in neat black handwriting.'We are currently on holiday in Rhodes and would love to know how far this bottle got – even if it's just the next beach!'"

"The bottle floated much farther than the next beach. It traveled nearly 500 miles across the Mediterranean Sea, from the Greek island of Rhodes, past Turkey and Cyprus to the Palestinian seaside enclave of Gaza — and into the fishing net of Jihad al-Soltan, a 54-year-old Palestinian fisherman and father of seven."

"He said it was the first piece of personal mail he had ever received."

"Gaza is an isolated place. For the past decade, ever since the Palestinian militant group Hamas took control of this strip of land, its neighbors Israel and Egypt have imposed a blockade on the territory."