North African aid convoy set to cross Libya’s border en route to Israel-besieged Gaza

By Adel Elthabti and Betul Yilmaz

TUNIS, Tunisia / ISTANBUL (AA) – An overland aid convoy bound for the Gaza Strip is set to cross into Libya, in an effort to spotlight a crippling Israeli siege on the Palestinian enclave, organizers said on Tuesday.

Consisting of 12 buses and 100 private cars, the convoy of more than 1,000 activists from North African countries set off from the Tunisian capital Tunis on Monday en route to the blockaded territory.

“We are set to cross the border into Libya,” Nabil Chenoufi, a spokesman for the convoy, told Anadolu.

"We were welcomed by thousands in the cities of Gabes, Medenine, Ben Guerdane, and Sfax, and they organized a lunch for us,” he said.

Activists plan to cross into Libya and Egypt by Thursday before reaching the city of Rafah near the border with Gaza.

The convoy comes a day after Israel intercepted a British-flagged aid ship bound for Gaza, and detained 12 foreign activists onboard.

As Israel has continued its closure of Gaza’s border crossings to humanitarian aid since early March, aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among Gaza’s 2.4 million population.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.