TUNIS, Tunisia / ISTANBUL

A convoy of more than 1,000 activists from North African countries departed Tunisia’s capital on Monday, beginning a land journey toward the Gaza Strip to break Israel's siege of Palestinian territory and also show solidarity with Palestinians.

The Maghreb resilience convoy, organized by the Coordination for Joint Action for Palestine, set off from central Tunis after participants from Tunisia, Mauritania, Morocco, and Algeria completed registration. Dozens of supporters waved Palestinian and Tunisian flags as the convoy departed.

“This convoy is part of a global initiative involving more than 30 countries from Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia,” Mohamed Amine Bennour, the convoy’s medical coordinator, told Anadolu.

“We are moving in coordination with various organizations aiming to reach Gaza by land, sea, and air,” he added, stressing their goal is to reach Gaza by land and to raise global awareness of what is happening there through events they hold along the way.

Bennour said additional groups from the cities of Sousse, Sfax, and Gabes would join the convoy as it travels across Tunisia, before continuing through Libya and Egypt.

"After crossing Tunisia, we plan to reach the Gaza Strip via Libya and Egypt. We are coordinating with initiatives such as the March on Gaza, the Global March on Gaza, and the Freedom Flotilla, which consists of many ships."

12 buses, 100 other vehicles

Jawaher Channa, a member of the organizing committee, said the convoy’s preparations were complete.

“Together with our Algerian brothers and sisters, over 1,000 participants have been distributed across 12 buses and 100 vehicles,” Channa said, adding that more will join along the way before it reaches Gaza.

In a related initiative, thousands of activists from 32 countries are planning a demonstration at the Rafah border crossing on June 15.

Activists will gather in Cairo, Egypt on June 12, travel to the border town of Arish the next day, and then march 50 kilometers (31 miles) over three days to reach Rafah, southernmost Gaza.

As Israel has continued its closure of Gaza’s border crossings to humanitarian aid since early March, aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among Gaza’s 2.4 million population.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.