A solidarity convoy, “Sumud” (steadfastness) that departed the Tunisian capital on Monday, reached the Tunisian-Libyan border at Ras Jedir on Tuesday morning.
Heading towards Egypt’s Rafah crossing in a “symbolic gesture” against the blockade on Gaza, despite not having received approval from Egyptian authorities, the convoy is now preparing to cross into Libya. After having collected more participants from various Tunisian governorates, including Sousse, Sfax, Gabes, Medenine, and Ben Gardane.
The convoy, organized by the Joint Action Coordination for Palestine in partnership with Tunisian organizations and civil society groups, aims to break the months-long closure of Rafah crossing. The convoy will pass through Libya en route to Egypt.
“This is a popular convoy, not an aid convoy,” spokesperson for the Joint Action Coordination for Palestine Ghassan El-Hanshiri told Al Manassa. “It includes participants from Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Mauritania.”
“It is a true Maghreb convoy heading towards Rafah to break the blockade on our people in Gaza. We will also attempt to deliver tons of aid currently stuck at the border and in Arish. That’s the philosophy behind the convoy,” he added.
Egypt closed the Rafah crossing in May 2024 following an Israeli incursion into the Palestinian side of Rafah, during which the Israeli army seized control of the crossing and raised its flag. Cairo rejected any coordination with Israeli forces at the time, demanding their withdrawal from the crossing.
On coordination with Egyptian authorities, Wael Nawar, another spokesperson for the Joint Action Coordination, told Al Manassa that while they had formally requested visas for all participants through Egypt’s embassy in Tunisia, they had received no official response.
“To reach Rafah, you need two types of permits: an entry visa for Egypt, and a special permit for Sinai, including access to Arish and Rafah,” Nawar said. “We officially requested both from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Egyptian ambassador. Until now, we have received neither approval nor rejection. Nevertheless, we departed today.”
He added that the law allows them to move through Tunisian and Libyan territory until they reach the Egyptian border and await the permits. “I think five days is enough to get the Egyptian response,” he said.
A child among the participants in the Sumud Convoy, which set out from Tunisia towards the Rafah crossing to break the siege of Gaza. June 9, 2025.The convoy is expected to pass through Libyan cities including Tripoli, Misrata, Sirte, Benghazi, and Tobruk before crossing the Egyptian border at Sallum on June 12. It is expected to reach Cairo, and then the Rafah crossing, by June 15, with around 2,000 participants.
In parallel, hundreds of activists from 54 countries are expected to arrive in Cairo on June 12 to join a global march to the Rafah crossing by June 15.
Nawar had previously stated that the convoy planned to coordinate with Egyptian humanitarian organizations to facilitate the convoy’s entry into Gaza, which he described as suffering from “horrific killing, displacement, and genocide amid an unacceptable Arab silence.”
At the time of the departure of the Sumud convoy, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition announced that the Israeli military had raided its ship, the “Madleen,” en route to Gaza, and that contact with the activists on board had been lost.
The International Committee to Break the Siege of Gaza issued a distress call on Monday, saying on X that the Israeli military had kidnapped the activists on the vessel.
In March, Israel suspended humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza “until further notice” after the first phase of a ceasefire ended. Later that month, it launched a renewed assault on the territory.
