Ana Vracar
Ten participants of a global convoy attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza were detained by armed forces in Libya on May 24. The event followed an attempt to negotiate safe passage through eastern Libya and onto Egypt, with the intention of facilitating the delivery of basic necessities through the Rafah crossing.
Limited information is available on the activists’ status. The Global Sumud Flotilla and Maghreb Sumud Organization, two groups coordinating the effort, are demanding swift reaction by countries whose citizens have been detained to ensure their safety and uphold the convoy’s mission. Those detained include individuals from Argentina, Italy, Poland, Spain, Portugal, Tunisia, the United States, and Uruguay.
According to communications by the organizations, the 10 activists, including two health professionals, were trying to directly arrange passage after multiple failed attempts to obtain safety assurances from relevant authorities. “When official channels and internationally recognized processes proved ineffective, the convoy moved toward the crossing to attempt direct negotiations in good faith,” the Global Sumud Flotilla stated on May 25.
The activists reported they were being moved to vans, after which communication was lost. “Back-channel communications indicate that eastern Libyan authorities have alleged that the participants entered the zone without authorization and are being processed for deportation,” the Global Sumud Flotilla reported. Foreign affairs officials from some countries where the activists hail from, including Italy, shared complementary information: on Monday, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said two Italian activists were to appear before a judge in Benghazi, eastern Libya, with the expectation they would be ordered to leave the country.
In addition to the detention of ten activists, the convoy’s organizers reported on May 25 that the rest of the caravan had faced assaults at their camp location near Sirte, where they had waited for days for a sign to proceed. Delegations from the land convoy have since returned to their countries of origin, describing how many of them were beaten and forced to leave the location of the camp and emphasizing that they remain extremely worried for those still detained.
The global relief convoy is part of ongoing international civilian efforts to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip, including multiple attempts to open a humanitarian corridor through the Mediterranean Sea. The most recent solidarity flotilla was attacked in international waters on at least two occasions by occupation forces – after which hundreds of activists were imprisoned and abused by Israeli authorities. Similarly, previous attempts to reach the Rafah crossing by land and North Africa had been blocked.
“The Global Sumud Land Convoy launched on May 15, 2026 (Nakba Day), carrying 7 ambulances, 20 mobile homes, 10 aid trucks, and over 200 participants from more than 25 countries, including medical professionals, engineers, educators and legal observers,” the Global Sumud Flotilla wrote in its statements on the initiative. “Its mandate: deliver humanitarian aid, establish a solidarity corridor, and deploy specialist support for Palestinian-led reconstruction of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure.”
Before facing obstructions in Libya, the convoy had passed through several other countries, including Mauritania, Algeria and Tunisia. “The convoy has been smoothly facilitated through all countries and regions it has passed through, and the only remaining step to reach its final destination is its passage through Libyan territory along its eastern route toward the Sallum border crossing, where the aid will be handed over to the Libyan Red Crescent in accordance with established humanitarian mechanisms,” the Maghreb Sumud Organization and the Global Sumud Flotilla Steering Committee wrote in a letter dated May 19.
“Every item on board is thoroughly documented,” the Global Sumud Flotilla emphasized in a later statement. “Every participant is committed to nonviolent, civilian action. Every step is taken in compliance with international law.”
“This mission proceeds in the face of a coordinated global effort to silence Palestine solidarity. Flotillas intercepted. Convoys blocked. Activists prosecuted. Aid workers criminalized. The pattern is consistent and deliberate. The Global Sumud Land Convoy recognizes it, names it, and moves forward. Steadfastness is the only moral response to systematic repression.”
Courtesy: Peoples Dispatch
Limited information is available on the activists’ status. The Global Sumud Flotilla and Maghreb Sumud Organization, two groups coordinating the effort, are demanding swift reaction by countries whose citizens have been detained to ensure their safety and uphold the convoy’s mission. Those detained include individuals from Argentina, Italy, Poland, Spain, Portugal, Tunisia, the United States, and Uruguay.
According to communications by the organizations, the 10 activists, including two health professionals, were trying to directly arrange passage after multiple failed attempts to obtain safety assurances from relevant authorities. “When official channels and internationally recognized processes proved ineffective, the convoy moved toward the crossing to attempt direct negotiations in good faith,” the Global Sumud Flotilla stated on May 25.
The activists reported they were being moved to vans, after which communication was lost. “Back-channel communications indicate that eastern Libyan authorities have alleged that the participants entered the zone without authorization and are being processed for deportation,” the Global Sumud Flotilla reported. Foreign affairs officials from some countries where the activists hail from, including Italy, shared complementary information: on Monday, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said two Italian activists were to appear before a judge in Benghazi, eastern Libya, with the expectation they would be ordered to leave the country.
In addition to the detention of ten activists, the convoy’s organizers reported on May 25 that the rest of the caravan had faced assaults at their camp location near Sirte, where they had waited for days for a sign to proceed. Delegations from the land convoy have since returned to their countries of origin, describing how many of them were beaten and forced to leave the location of the camp and emphasizing that they remain extremely worried for those still detained.
The global relief convoy is part of ongoing international civilian efforts to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip, including multiple attempts to open a humanitarian corridor through the Mediterranean Sea. The most recent solidarity flotilla was attacked in international waters on at least two occasions by occupation forces – after which hundreds of activists were imprisoned and abused by Israeli authorities. Similarly, previous attempts to reach the Rafah crossing by land and North Africa had been blocked.
“The Global Sumud Land Convoy launched on May 15, 2026 (Nakba Day), carrying 7 ambulances, 20 mobile homes, 10 aid trucks, and over 200 participants from more than 25 countries, including medical professionals, engineers, educators and legal observers,” the Global Sumud Flotilla wrote in its statements on the initiative. “Its mandate: deliver humanitarian aid, establish a solidarity corridor, and deploy specialist support for Palestinian-led reconstruction of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure.”
Before facing obstructions in Libya, the convoy had passed through several other countries, including Mauritania, Algeria and Tunisia. “The convoy has been smoothly facilitated through all countries and regions it has passed through, and the only remaining step to reach its final destination is its passage through Libyan territory along its eastern route toward the Sallum border crossing, where the aid will be handed over to the Libyan Red Crescent in accordance with established humanitarian mechanisms,” the Maghreb Sumud Organization and the Global Sumud Flotilla Steering Committee wrote in a letter dated May 19.
“Every item on board is thoroughly documented,” the Global Sumud Flotilla emphasized in a later statement. “Every participant is committed to nonviolent, civilian action. Every step is taken in compliance with international law.”
“This mission proceeds in the face of a coordinated global effort to silence Palestine solidarity. Flotillas intercepted. Convoys blocked. Activists prosecuted. Aid workers criminalized. The pattern is consistent and deliberate. The Global Sumud Land Convoy recognizes it, names it, and moves forward. Steadfastness is the only moral response to systematic repression.”
Courtesy: Peoples Dispatch
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