Tunisian Organizations Urge Maghreb Diplomacy to Free Detained Gaza Convoy Activists
Calls Mount for Libya’s Haftar to Release Activists from the Maghreb Solidarity Convoy Blocked En Route to Gaza.
Watan-Tunisian organizations have called on Maghreb diplomacy to pressure General Khalifa Haftar’s authorities in eastern Libya to release the detained participants of the Maghreb Solidarity Convoy to Gaza. Tunisia’s General Labor Union (UGTT) criticized what it described as the “cowardly silence of Arab governments” in the face of the Israeli war of extermination against the Palestinian people.
The convoy organizers announced Monday that they had begun returning to Tunisia after being prevented from continuing toward Gaza by Haftar’s forces in the city of Sirte. They also called for the release of six detained activists—four Libyans, one Tunisian, and one Sudanese.
Jawaher Chenna, the convoy’s spokesperson, wrote:“When we were cut off from the world, surrounded and without communication, I moved among the Tunisians to reassure them, convinced that the people were protesting in our support—even without any news, I had faith our people wouldn’t abandon us.”
Convoy Blocked, but Hope Crossed Borders
She added:“We didn’t reach Rafah or Gaza, and the convoy was blocked before achieving its main goal. But it sparked something. It made the dream of reaching Gaza seem possible one day. Maybe not this time, but we crossed three land borders, united and resolute—and we learned. Next time, we will learn even more.”
Chenna concluded:“We will keep trying to reach you, Palestine. You are both the beginning and end of our road. From the river to the sea, Palestine will forever be free.”
Meanwhile, several Tunisian organizations praised the convoy for its principled engagement in the global movement supporting Palestine, going beyond rhetoric to impactful action capable of reshaping global perspectives on the Palestinian cause and isolating the Zionist entity diplomatically and institutionally.
They urged eastern Libyan authorities to release the detainees “to ensure their safety, protect the convoy’s noble mission, and avoid diverting the conflict with the occupying entity into internal strife.”
They also called on Tunisia and Algeria to “take all necessary diplomatic steps to secure the release of the detained youth.”
UGTT: Convoy Broke Arab Silence, Ignited People’s Resistance
The UGTT praised the “massive grassroots solidarity with the convoy,” calling it an expression of deep-rooted Palestinian solidarity among the Tunisian and Libyan peoples. It commended protests across Tunisia supporting the convoy and urged Libyan unions to help lift the blockade and pressure for the activists’ release.
In a statement Monday, the UGTT said the convoy “succeeded in breaking Arab official silence and exposed the complicity of their governments in the genocide against the Palestinian people. It will be a beacon for peoples to rise against tyranny and occupation.”
It demanded Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya “intervene diplomatically to secure the release of peaceful activists who are being held solely for their love of Palestine and their commitment to just causes through peaceful protest and advocacy.”
Finally, the union called on the Arab public to “innovate new forms of resistance—solidarity convoys, liberation marches, sit-ins, boycotts of the occupation and its backers—until justice and freedom prevail.”
