Libyan Authorities Halt Gaza-Bound Solidarity Convoy Near Sirte
Pro-Palestine Convoy Temporarily Blocked Pending Benghazi Approval Amid Calls for Safe Passage to Gaza.
Watan-The Joint Coordination Committee for Palestine confirmed that security and military forces under the authorities in eastern Libya, led by Khalifa Haftar, halted the “Convoy of Steadfastness” heading to Gaza late Thursday night at the entrance of the city of Sirte (450 km east of Tripoli).
In a statement, the committee said the security officials justified the decision by stating they were awaiting authorization from Benghazi before allowing the convoy to proceed.
“In response to this unexpected development,” the statement said, “the convoy’s steering body has decided not to move forward and will camp on the roadside if necessary tonight.”
Convoy Urges Benghazi to Honor Gaza Solidarity Commitment
The convoy called on Benghazi authorities to uphold their welcoming stance toward the “brave initiative”—as described by the Foreign Ministry—and to receive the convoy, reiterating its trust that the hospitality of the Libyan people knows no division between East and West. It urged all relevant parties to intervene to facilitate the convoy’s noble mission to break the siege, starvation, and genocide imposed on the people of Gaza.
Earlier on Thursday, the convoy participants reached the city of Misrata (200 km east of Tripoli), preparing to head east along the Libyan coast. The night before, they stayed in the nearby city of Zliten, hosted by the Zliten Campaign for Al-Aqsa Support.
The Foreign Ministry of the eastern Libya government appointed by the House of Representatives in Benghazi welcomed the initiative, stressing the importance of respecting Egypt’s regulatory measures regarding visits to the border region adjacent to Gaza. The ministry called the convoy’s efforts “courageous” and expressed full support for what it described as a moral and humanitarian action symbolizing the Maghreb and Arab world’s deep connection to the Palestinian cause.
Maghreb Convoy Presses On Toward Gaza with Unified Humanitarian Message
The convoy, which began in Tunisia, includes 15 buses and 150 cars, passing through western Libya to Sirte and Benghazi, then toward the Salloum border crossing with Egypt, and ultimately into Gaza. The convoy set off from Tunis on Monday, carrying 1,500 Tunisian and 200 Algerian activists.
In the early hours of Monday morning, hundreds gathered in the center of Tunis to send off the convoy, which was escorted by a procession of cars. The buses were adorned with Palestinian and Tunisian flags, with activists chanting, “At your service, O Aqsa.”
