Tripoli: An overland aid convoy bound for the Gaza Strip crossed into Libya on Tuesday, in an effort to spotlight a crippling Israeli siege on the Palestinian enclave, organizers said. 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.
According to Anadolu Agency, the convoy's medical coordinator, Mohammed Ameen Binnour, reported that the aid convoy was greeted by Libyans on the streets and given a formal salute by Libyan security forces. Binnour mentioned that the Libyans also provided the convoy with various forms of aid, including food and cold water.
Activists plan to cross from Libya into 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 an offensive against Gaza since October 2023, resulting in the deaths of 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.