Officials in eastern Libya says they will only allow passage for Libyan, Egyptian nationals in Gaza-bound aid convoy

A rival government in eastern Libya said on Tuesday that only Libyan nationals among the activists in the Gaza-bound Global Sumud humanitarian aid land convoy would be allowed to travel from Libya on the way to the Palestinian enclave.

“In accordance with the regulatory laws and rules between the two brotherly countries (Libya and Egypt), we would like to stress unequivocally that no citizens of countries other than Libya or Egypt will be allowed to pass through the land border crossing," the foreign ministry of the Benghazi-based government said in a statement.

Expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people, the statement expressed readiness to send humanitarian aid to Gaza through the Libyan Red Crescent.

Activists in the Sumud convoy, which has been waiting near the coastal city of Sirte for the past three days, announced earlier Tuesday that they had formed a delegation that would head to the checkpoint at the entrance to Sirte to meet with authorities in eastern Libya.

With the statement, the Benghazi government once again confirmed that it would not allow foreign activists in the convoy.

The Benghazi government on May 14 issued a similar statement announcing that foreign activists would not be permitted to cross.

The Global Sumud Flotilla land convoy departed on May 15 from near the capital Tripoli to break the blockade on Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid, arriving late on May 16 at the site near Sirte, where it is currently camped.

The convoy includes around 350 activists from 30 countries, including Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania, Türkiye, Indonesia, China, the United States, Germany, Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

The convoy also carries 20 container homes intended for delivery to Gaza, along with humanitarian aid supplies, medical equipment, and five ambulances.

Libya remains split between two rival administrations: the internationally recognized Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli, led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, and an eastern-based government appointed by the House of Representatives and headed by Osama Hammad in Benghazi.

For years, UN efforts have aimed to bridge the divide and pave the way for long-delayed elections intended to reunify the country’s fractured institutions.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel in Istanbul