By Atoyebi Nike
A large pro-Palestinian convoy named “Soumoud” has retreated to the Misrata region in western Libya after being blocked by forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar in the country’s east, according to organizers.
The convoy—named after the Arabic word for “steadfastness”—set out from Tunisia on June 9, with more than 1,000 participants from Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, and Tunisia, aiming to reach Rafah at the Gaza-Egypt border to symbolically break Israel’s blockade on Gaza.
However, on Friday, the group encountered a “military blockade” near Sirte, a strategic city under Haftar’s control. Organizers say the convoy was surrounded, denied access to food, water, and medicine, and cut off from communication.
In a statement carried by Tunisia’s La Presse, the Joint Action Coordination Committee for Palestine accused eastern Libyan authorities of enforcing a “systematic siege” on the convoy and arresting at least 13 members, including three bloggers who had been documenting the mission online.
Facing the blockade, convoy leaders opted to withdraw to Misrata, about 200 kilometers east of Tripoli, within territory administered by the UN-recognized Government of National Unity.
Despite the setback, organizers remain defiant. In a video statement, they reaffirmed their goal of reaching Gaza through Rafah and called for the immediate release of detained participants.
“Our mission continues. We are determined to break the blockade and help end the genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, in Egypt, a separate initiative known as the Global March to Gaza, involving participants from over 80 countries, was also stopped by authorities on Friday as it approached Ismailia. Reports say activists were beaten, had passports seized, and were forcibly removed by police at several checkpoints.
