Hundreds of people, mainly Tunisian, began on Monday, June 9, on Monday, in coach of the Gaza Strip with the declared intention of “breaking the Israeli block” after more than a year and a half of war.
The Soummoud caravan (“resistance”) does not provide humanitarian aid, but wants to be a “symbolic act” of support to the Palestinian territory, described by the United Nations as “the most hungry place in the world,” according to activist Jawaher Channa, spokesman for the organization of the coalition.
The passage authorized by Egypt?
The convoy, which includes doctors, women and men of all ages, aims to reach Rafah (south of the Gaza Strip), passing through Libya and Egypt, although Cairo has not yet taken a step away, said Jawaher Channa at AFP.
At dawn, enthusiastic activists, brandishing Tunisian and Palestinian flags, have increased in a dozen coaches, under the yoyous of women and the breath of their loved and curious beings.
“We are a thousand people and others will join us along the way,” said Jawaher Channa, spokesman for the Tunisian Coordination of Joint Action for Palestine.
According to her, the crossing of Libya must be done without difficulty thanks “to the historical support of the population to the Palestinian cause”, despite the recent violent struggles in the West between the armed groups, and the division of the country between two rival camps, including that of the east controlled by the powerful Mariscal Khalifa Haftar.
“Egypt has not yet given us permission to cross its borders, but we will see what will happen when it gets there,” he added. Algerian activists, Mauritans, Moroccans and Libyans are also part of this group that hopes to reach Rafah at the end of the week.
Generalized shortage
After 21 months of war, Israel faces a growing international pressure to authorize Gaza to compensate for the general scarcity of essential foods and products.
The Israeli Navy intercepted and mentioned on Monday the Madleen boat that carries humanitarian aid for Gaza, which tried to reach the Palestinian territory besieged with rights activists such as Swedish Greta Thunberg.
The sailboat with 12 French, German, Brazilian, Turkish, Swedish, Spaniards and Dutch activists on board, on board, from Italy on June 1 to “break the Israeli blockade” of the Palestinian territory. The activists were transferred to Tel Aviv airport for repatriation, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Tuesday.
Source: BFM TV
