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Tunisian Ultras Join Convoy to Break Israeli Siege on Gaza
Rabat– Tunisian football ultras are taking part in a grassroots effort to confront and break the genocidal siege Israel continues to impose on Gaza. Several major supporter groups have declared their participation in the 'Resilience Convoy,' which is set to depart Tunisia on Monday, June 9, with plans to reach Gaza through Libya and Egypt.
The convoy is being organized by the Coordination for Joint Action for Palestine, and has already received over 7,000 applications. Volunteers are being screened based on age, health, and logistical feasibility.
Among the first to respond were the Bad Blue Boys Juniors, supporters of Espérance Sportive de Tunis (ES Tunis), and the Leaders Clubistes, affiliated with Club Africain.
Both groups issued calls to action urging fans and citizens alike to take part in the convoy, framing it as a moral and political duty rooted in a long-standing tradition of Tunisian ultras using football spaces to express solidarity with Palestine.
'When the world falls silent, the crowds must scream,' declared Leaders Clubistes, affirming that solidarity with the Palestinian struggle remains a core part of their identity.
Support has also come from Libya. The Teha Boys, ultras of Al-Ahly Tripoli, joined the initiative in a joint statement with their Tunisian counterparts. Major Tunisian unions—representing workers, farmers, doctors, and supporters—have also declared their backing for the convoy, now rallying under the revolutionary slogan: 'The Shackle Must Be Broken.'
Despite clear threats from the Israeli regime, organizers are determined to proceed. 'We don't believe in the impossible,' said convoy spokesperson Wael Naouar.
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The convoy was originally scheduled to depart on June 15, but the date was moved forward to align with international resistance efforts, including the Freedom Flotilla, which is currently close to Gaza.
Onboard the Madleen—named after Madleen Kulab, Gaza's only fisherwoman—are prominent activists including Greta Thunberg, actor Liam Cunningham, European Parliament member Rima Hassan, and Palestinian-American human rights attorney Huwaida Arraf.
Organizers from both the land and sea missions have expressed concern over likely attacks by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), especially after Israel launched drone strikes in May against the Conscience, a Flotilla vessel in international waters near Malta.
The siege of Gaza did not begin on October 7. It is the latest phase in a long-term genocidal campaign. Since 2007, Israel has imposed a total blockade on Gaza—by land, air, and sea—trapping over two million Palestinians in an open-air prison and cutting them off from basic survival needs. Every attempt to break the siege has been either violently intercepted or blocked outright.
One of the most notorious attacks occurred in May 2010, when Israeli commandos stormed the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish aid ship in international waters, murdering ten activists. Israel later justified the killings under the familiar lie of 'self-defense,' claiming that their heavily armed soldiers were endangered by civilians on board.
Now, in the midst of a near-total blockade and constant bombing, Israel has intensified its genocide on Gaza's civilian population. Gaza has been plunged into starvation, displacement, and unrelenting bombardment for almost 100 consecutive days.
The genocidal hands feeding Gaza
After banning the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)—the only large-scale humanitarian body with long-standing infrastructure in Gaza—Israel replaced it with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US-backed private entity with no credible record of neutrality, capacity, or trust among Palestinians.
Since GHF began operating distribution centers in late May, the IOF has killed more than 100 civilians near these 'aid' sites. Palestinians have come to see them not as relief hubs but as lethal ambush zones, where desperate people are gunned down.
Speaking to Al Jazeera on the first day of Eid al-Adha in Gaza, June 6, as GHF sites closed , journalist and Khan Younis resident Ahmad al-Najjar stated that these centers 'have killed more people than they've helped. It's comical to say these distribution centers are closed today, as if they've been making a major difference.'
In reality, GHF centers have become symbolic of the broader Israeli policy— use starvation as a weapon of war, crush any mechanism of organized relief, and kill those who dare to seek aid.
As Gaza remains under genocidal siege, initiatives like the Resilience Convoy are both a humanitarian act and a political stance—one that refuses silence, complicity, or fear.
