Tunisia's pro-Palestine groups and unions plan land convoy to Gaza 'to break Israel's siege'

A coalition of Tunisian civil society groups announced plans to send a land convoy to Gaza next month, in a direct challenge to an Israeli blockade on the Palestinian coastal enclave, now teetering on the brink of famine.

"We are organising this convoy to show that we refuse to be passive witnesses to genocide," said Wael Naouar, spokesperson for the Joint Coordination for Palestine, the coalition leading the initiative, said in a press conference on 13 May.

Dubbed the "Convoy of Resilience," the mission is set to depart Tunisia on 14 June, timed to coincide with other international solidarity efforts, according to the local group.

The convoy will travel through Libya and Egypt to cross into Gaza via the Rafah border, a lifeline that has remained closed by Israel since early May, deepening the humanitarian crisis inside the enclave.

It will carry medical supplies, food and other essential goods, but organisers stress that the aim is not simply to deliver aid.

"There's already a lot of aid being sent to Gaza, but it was denied entry. This is a global humanitarian effort to break the siege; an opportunity for anyone who truly wants to stand with the Palestinian people", said Naouar.

This Tunisian effort comes amid mounting international concern over the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where hunger is widespread and hospitals are collapsing under the strain of Israel's brutal bombardment and collective blockade.

According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), 470,000 people in Gaza are facing catastrophic hunger, and the entire population is experiencing acute food insecurity. 

Israel halted humanitarian aid to Gaza two months ago, shortly before it broke a ceasefire and restarted its war.

The Israeli army has killed more than 51,000 people in the strip since October 2023, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Tunisia has seen one of the region's most sustained grassroots mobilisations in support of Gaza, with weekly demonstrations outside the US embassy in Tunis and widespread calls to end Western support for Israel's genocide.

However, organisers say, now almost two years into the genocide, protest alone is no longer enough.

"After hundreds of vigils and protests, it is time for practical solidarity", said Samir Cheffi, a representative of the powerful Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT). "This is a moral duty [...] The entire Arab world is under threat from displacement and expansionist plans."

The coalition is accepting applications throughout May from volunteers across the region, intending to form a broad Arab-Muslim convoy.

Medical and legal teams are expected to accompany the mission, and Tunisian unions representing doctors, farmers and lawyers have already pledged support.

Talks are also underway with Tunisian authorities and labour movements in Libya and Egypt to facilitate the journey.

Organisers are under no illusions about the risks.

"We know the occupying entity will try to stop us," said Naouar, referencing Israel. "But we're coordinating with partners across the region and following in the footsteps of past convoys that made it to Rafah", he added in a statement to The New Arab.

Earlier this month, a vessel named "Conscience," operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was struck by drones while on its way to the besieged strip. The ship had planned to collect 30 international peace activists in Mallta before attempting to reach Gaza by sea.

It was hit just outside Malta's territorial waters and suffered significant damage. The NGO accused Israel of carrying out the strike, part of what activists describe as a broader effort to block all channels of aid and solidarity.

Another NGO ship on a similar mission to Gaza in 2010 was stopped and boarded by Israeli troops, and nine activists were killed. Several such missions since then have been intercepted or prevented from reaching their destination.

"This is a moment of choice: resistance or complicity. Palestine is the compass, and the time for helplessness is over," stressed Turkiya Chaibi of the Million Rural Women Association.

Organisers hope the convoy will inspire similar initiatives across the region and signal that Gaza has not been forgotten.

"We will not allow the people of Gaza to starve in silence. We will not allow the siege to be normalised," said the representative of the UGTT at the end of the press conference.