Maghreb: Activists traveling in the Gaza-bound Maghreb Resistance Convoy called Tuesday for an immediate end to Israel's blockade of the enclave, urging Arab governments to speak out against the Israeli genocide against Palestinians.
According to Anadolu Agency, the convoy-comprising approximately 2,000 activists from Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania, and Libya-is part of a larger international campaign to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and pressure Israel to lift the blockade. The convoy departed from Tunisia's capital on Monday, embarking on a land journey toward the Gaza Strip to break Israel's siege of the Palestinian territory, and reached Libya on Tuesday.
The convoy is set to spend the night in the Libyan city of Zawiya and is anticipated to continue its journey east to Misrata before heading toward Egypt. "This initiative was launched in coordination with other groups around the world working to break the blockade on Gaza by sea, air, and land," explained Haifa Mansura, a Tunisian activist and one of the convoy's organizers.
The convoy consists of about 120 vehicles and 12 buses, with additional activists from nearly 50 countries expected to join in Cairo, arriving by air to support the campaign. Ahmed Abdulgani, a Libyan organizer, stated that the convoy also aims to deliver financial aid collected in Libya to Palestinians in Gaza. He emphasized the urgency of the situation, saying, "We've witnessed two years of the most horrific crimes in history. No Muslim-or even non-Muslim-can remain indifferent to this."
Fadiya Al-Husseini, a Tunisian journalist and activist, criticized the silence of Arab governments regarding the situation in Gaza, highlighting the convoy's primary aim. "The main purpose of the convoy is the silence of the Arabs before the silence of Europe," Al-Husseini remarked. "Where are the people of the Arab countries-those who should care more about the Palestinian issue than European societies do?"
Nabil Channoufi, one of the convoy's spokespersons, expressed uncertainty about the convoy's entry into Egypt. Channoufi mentioned that the group met with the Egyptian ambassador in Tunisia but received no definitive response. "He didn't give us a yes or no," he noted. "He told us he would pass the matter to the Egyptian government, which will decide whether we're allowed to enter."
Channoufi added that the convoy's entry would be in Egypt's interest and expressed hope that officials would support the group's mission.