Tunisian activists said hundreds of people launched a ground convoy to Gaza on Monday, June 9, with the aim of “breaking the blockade” of the Palestinian territories.
Organizers said the nine-bus convoy was not bringing aid to Gaza but was intended to carry out a “symbolic action” by breaking the blockade on the area described by the United Nations as “the hungriest place in the world.”
Activist Javahir Channa said that the “Soumoud” convoy, which means “steadiness” in Arabic, includes doctors and aims to reach Rafah in southern Gaza by the end of the week.
It is scheduled to pass through Libya and Egypt, but Egypt administration has not yet granted permission to cross, Channa said.
“We are currently around a thousand participants, and we expect more to join us as we move forward,” said Channa, spokesperson for the Tunisian Palestine Joint Action Coordination, the group behind the convoy.
“Egypt hasn’t granted us permission to cross the border yet, but we’ll see what unfolds once we arrive,” she added.
Channa said the convoy would not encounter problems crossing Libya, “where the people have historically supported the Palestinians,” despite recent deadly conflict in the country.
Algerian, Mauritanian, Moroccan and Libyan activists were among the group, which will travel along the Tunisian and Libyan coasts before continuing on to Rafah via Egypt.
After 21 months of war, Israel is facing increasing international pressure to allow more aid to be sent to Gaza to ease widespread food and basic goods shortages.
On June 1, the Madleen aid ship, carrying activists such as Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and French-Palestinian member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan, set off from Italy for Gaza.
But on Monday morning, Israel intercepted the ship, preventing it from reaching the Palestinian territories.
The UN has warned that the entire population of the Palestinian territories is at risk of famine.