Latest news with #Soumoud
Al-Ahram Weekly
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Libya denies stopping Soumoud convoy without cause - Foreign Affairs
The Libyan Ministry of Interior denied on Friday the claim made by the Soumoud convoy that the ministry had stopped the convoy in Sirte without cause. It clarified that the convoy had been requested to provide visas and official approvals from Egypt, none of which have been provided yet. Speaking to "Almarsad," the ministry said that though the Libyan government and the general command had initially prepared escort patrols and reception points in the cities of Sirte and Ajdabiya, they were surprised that some participants in the convoy lacked any identification documents. According to the Libyan interior ministry, some individuals' passports had expired, while others had passports close to expiration, rendering them ineligible for travel through any country. "Some participants had no passports at all," the ministry said, expressing confusion over how they were allowed to enter through the city of Ra's Ajdir in violation of Libyan laws requiring valid passports. The ministry also noted an unjustified hostile tone from the convoy organisers upon their arrival on the outskirts of Sirte, with some reportedly using inflammatory language such as "enemies of God and tyrants." It emphasised that it has clear instructions to allow passage to anyone with a valid passport and visa, in accordance with Libyan laws and international agreements governing the movement of individuals between countries. In conclusion, the ministry affirmed that Libya does not allow its citizens to travel to Egypt without proper procedures, and that Egypt applies the same rules. Algerian and Tunisian nationals, it stressed, are not exempt from the laws regulating cross-border movement. On Thursday, the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for respecting Egypt's border regulations, referencing an earlier statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs outlining the rules for visiting border areas adjacent to Gaza. The Libyan Foreign Ministry said, "We emphasise the importance of adhering to these controls and fully coordinating with the relevant authorities to ensure the safety of participants and the success of the convoy's objectives." On Wednesday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry called on international delegations wishing to visit the border area near Gaza to express support for Palestinian rights to secure prior approval, citing safety concerns and sensitive security conditions. On Monday, the Soumoud (Steadfastness) land convoy left Tunisia bound for Gaza, reportedly planning to travel through Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. The nine-bus convoy, which seeks to break Israel's blockade on Gaza, carries humanitarian aid and around 2,000 activists from Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. It comes days after the Israeli navy seized the Freedom Flotilla ship Madleen, which was also attempting to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip by sea. The Madleen aid boat, which set sail for Gaza from Italy on 1 June, was boarded by activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and European parliament member Franco-Palestinian Rima Hassan. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Egypt detains over 200 pro-Palestinian activists ahead of Gaza march: organisers
AP image Egyptian authorities have detained more than 200 pro-Palestinian activists in Cairo ahead of an international march with the stated aim of breaking Israel's blockade on Gaza, organisers said Thursday. As part of the Global March to Gaza, thousands of activists planned to travel to Egypt's Rafah border crossing with the Palestinian territory on Friday to demand the entry of humanitarian aid. On Thursday, the march's spokesperson Saif Abukeshek told AFP: "Over 200 participants were detained at Cairo airport or questioned at hotels across Cairo." He added that those detained included nationals from the United States, Australia, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Morocco and Algeria. Abukeshek said that plainclothes police entered hotels in Cairo on Wednesday with lists of names, questioned activists and in some cases confiscated mobile phones and searched personal belongings. "After interrogations, some were arrested and others were released," he added. At Cairo airport, some detainees were held for long hours without explanation, Abukeshek said, adding that others were deported, without specifying exact numbers. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Neuropatia? Simples aparelho domestico tem ajudado muitas pessoas. A arte do herbalismo Undo Twenty French activists who had planned to join the march were held at Cairo airport "for 18 hours", he said. "What happened was completely unexpected," Abukeshek said. Footage shared with AFP showed dozens of people with their luggage crammed inside a holding room at the airport. "We're locked up here in this room with so many people -- some 30-40 people," a German national said in one video. "I called the embassy and they told me their people are trying to figure things out," she said. The Greek contingent said in a statement that dozens of Greek nationals were among those held at Cairo airport "despite having all legal travel documents, having broken no law and followed every legal procedure in entering the country". Cairo's security chief did not respond to an AFP request for comment. Pressure After 21 months of war, Israel is facing mounting international pressure to allow more aid into Gaza, which the United Nations has dubbed "the hungriest place on Earth". Another convoy dubbed Soumoud, or steadfastness in Arabic, left the Tunisian capital on Monday, hoping to pass through divided Libya and Egypt -- which organisers say has yet to provide passage permits -- to reach Gaza. The Global March to Gaza, which is coordinating with Soumoud, said around 4,000 participants from more than 40 countries would take part in the event, with many having already arrived ahead of the Friday march. According to the plan, participants are set to travel by bus to the city of El-Arish in the heavily securitised Sinai Peninsula before walking 50 kilometres (30 miles) towards the border with Gaza. They would then camp there before returning to Cairo on June 19. Israel has called on Egyptian authorities "to prevent the arrival of jihadist protesters at the Egypt-Israel border". Such actions "would endanger the safety of (Israeli) soldiers and will not be allowed", Defence Minister Israel Katz said. In response, Egypt's foreign ministry said that while it backs efforts to put "pressure on Israel", any foreign delegations visiting the border area must receive approval through official channels. "We will continue despite what happened because the current numbers in Egypt and those expected to arrive are enough to organise this march," Abukeshek said.
NDTV
a day ago
- Health
- NDTV
"They Were Risking Lives": US-Backed Gaza Aid Group Says 5 Members Killed In Hamas Attack
A US- and Israeli-backed charity operating in Gaza accused Palestinian group Hamas of attacking aid workers en route to a distribution centre on Wednesday, saying at least five people were killed. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said a bus carrying its staff to a distribution site near Khan Yunis in the south was "brutally attacked by Hamas" around 10:00 pm (1900 GMT). "We are still gathering facts, but what we know is devastating: there are at least five fatalities, multiple injuries, and fear that some of our team members may have been taken hostage," GHF said in a statement. In an email to AFP, the group added that all five of the people killed were Palestinian aid workers for GHF. "These were aid workers. Humanitarians. Fathers, brothers, sons and friends, who were risking their lives every day to help others," the group said in its statement condemning the attack. The distribution of food and basic supplies in the besieged Gaza Strip has become increasingly fraught and perilous, exacerbating the territory's deep hunger crisis. Dozens of Palestinians have been killed while trying to reach distribution points since late May, according to Gaza's civil defence. It said Israeli forces killed 31 people waiting for aid on Wednesday. The Israeli army did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment about the incident. 'Died While Waiting' The GHF, an officially private effort with opaque funding, began operating on May 26 after Israel completely cut off supplies into Gaza for more than two months, sparking international outcry and warnings of imminent famine. During its first week of operations, the GHF said it distributed more than seven million meals' worth of food, but its operations were heavily criticised even before the string of deadly incidents near its sites. The United Nations and major aid groups have refused to work with the GHF, citing concerns over its practices and neutrality. The amount of aid being allowed back into the territory meanwhile has been described as only a trickle. Gaza's medics have said hospitals were being inundated with people attacked while trying to obtain food. Al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat Camp said early Thursday that four people were killed and 100 wounded in an overnight Israeli drone attack on a gathering at an aid distribution site close to a key checkpoint along the road to northern Gaza. At Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital, the emergency room said it had started receiving dozens of victims who had been waiting for aid, including 200 in a single day. "Many Gazans went to the Nabulsi and Netzarim areas to receive aid and were shot at and shelled with tanks," said Mutaz Harara, head of Al-Shifa's emergency department. But with few medical supplies and no operating rooms, "many patients died while waiting for their turn", he said. Convoys Through Egypt? To combat the widespread shortages, two activist convoys are attempting to transport supplies to the Gaza border themselves. The Soumoud convoy -- meaning steadfastness in Arabic -- left Tunis in buses and cars on Monday, hoping to pass through divided Libya and Egypt. The Global March to Gaza, which is coordinating with Soumoud, said it is organising a separate mobilisation starting in Cairo on Friday. The plan entails participants marching through the heavily securitised Sinai Peninsula on foot, and camping on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing. Israel's defence minister objected to the mobilisation, and said he expects Egyptian authorities "to prevent the arrival of jihadist protesters at the Egypt-Israel border". Such actions "would endanger the safety of (Israeli) soldiers and will not be allowed," Defence Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday. Egypt said that while it backs efforts to put "pressure on Israel" to lift its blockade on Gaza, any foreign delegations seeking to visit the border area must receive prior approval. With international and domestic pressure on the Israeli government mounting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu survived the latest challenge to his right-wing coalition early Thursday. A bill to dissolve parliament -- which could have led to snap polls -- was narrowly defeated, with 61 members of the Knesset voting against it, and 53 in favour. The opposition had hoped to leverage dissatisfaction with Netanyahu over proposals to enlist ultra-Orthodox men typically exempt from the military draft. But ultimately, the ultra-Orthodox parties did not back the effort. The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which resulting in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says the retaliatory Israeli military offensive has killed at least 55,104 people, the majority civilians. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable. Out of 251 taken hostage during the Hamas attack, 54 are still held in Gaza including 32 the Israeli military says are dead.
Al Bawaba
a day ago
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Israel calls on Egypt to block Soumoud convoys from heading to Gaza
Published June 12th, 2025 - 06:38 GMT ALBAWABA - Israel's defence minister on Wednesday urged the Egyptian authorities to block two pro-Palestinian activist convoys, called Soumoud (meaning steadfastness in Arabic), from reaching Gaza. Two convoys left from Algeria and Tunisia, and they will go through the lands of Libya and Egypt to break the siege imposed on Gaza, considering the fact that, unlike the Madleen ship, the convoys have no aid at all. "I expect the Egyptian authorities to prevent the arrival of jihadist protesters at the Egypt-Israel border and not to allow them to carry out provocations or attempt to enter Gaza," Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, said in a statement. The Israeli minister also said that such actions "would endanger the safety of (Israeli) soldiers and will not be allowed". © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
France 24
2 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says 5 members killed in Hamas attack
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said a bus carrying its staff to a distribution site near Khan Yunis in the south was "brutally attacked by Hamas" around 10:00 pm (1900 GMT). "We are still gathering facts, but what we know is devastating: there are at least five fatalities, multiple injuries, and fear that some of our team members may have been taken hostage," GHF said in a statement. In an email to AFP, the group added that all five of the people killed were Palestinian aid workers for GHF. "These were aid workers. Humanitarians. Fathers, brothers, sons and friends, who were risking their lives every day to help others," the group said in its statement condemning the attack. The distribution of food and basic supplies in the besieged Gaza Strip has become increasingly fraught and perilous, exacerbating the territory's deep hunger crisis. Dozens of Palestinians have been killed while trying to reach distribution points since late May, according to Gaza's civil defence. It said Israeli forces killed 31 people waiting for aid on Wednesday. The Israeli army did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment about the incident. 'Died while waiting' The GHF, an officially private effort with opaque funding, began operating on May 26 after Israel completely cut off supplies into Gaza for more than two months, sparking international outcry and warnings of imminent famine. During its first week of operations, the GHF said it distributed more than seven million meals' worth of food, but its operations were heavily criticised even before the string of deadly incidents near its sites. The United Nations and major aid groups have refused to work with the GHF, citing concerns over its practices and neutrality. The amount of aid being allowed back into the territory meanwhile has been described as only a trickle. Gaza's medics have said hospitals were being inundated with people attacked while trying to obtain food. Al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat Camp said early Thursday that four people were killed and 100 wounded in an overnight Israeli drone attack on a gathering at an aid distribution site close to a key checkpoint along the road to northern Gaza. At Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital, the emergency room said it had started receiving dozens of victims who had been waiting for aid, including 200 in a single day. "Many Gazans went to the Nabulsi and Netzarim areas to receive aid and were shot at and shelled with tanks," said Mutaz Harara, head of Al-Shifa's emergency department. But with few medical supplies and no operating rooms, "many patients died while waiting for their turn", he said. Convoys through Egypt? To combat the widespread shortages, two activist convoys are attempting to transport supplies to the Gaza border themselves. The Soumoud convoy -- meaning steadfastness in Arabic -- left Tunis in buses and cars on Monday, hoping to pass through divided Libya and Egypt. The Global March to Gaza, which is coordinating with Soumoud, said it is organising a separate mobilisation starting in Cairo on Friday. The plan entails participants marching through the heavily securitised Sinai Peninsula on foot, and camping on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing. Israel's defence minister objected to the mobilisation, and said he expects Egyptian authorities "to prevent the arrival of jihadist protesters at the Egypt-Israel border". Such actions "would endanger the safety of (Israeli) soldiers and will not be allowed," Defence Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday. Egypt said that while it backs efforts to put "pressure on Israel" to lift its blockade on Gaza, any foreign delegations seeking to visit the border area must receive prior approval. With international and domestic pressure on the Israeli government mounting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu survived the latest challenge to his right-wing coalition early Thursday. A bill to dissolve parliament -- which could have led to snap polls -- was narrowly defeated, with 61 members of the Knesset voting against it, and 53 in favour. The opposition had hoped to leverage dissatisfaction with Netanyahu over proposals to enlist ultra-Orthodox men typically exempt from the military draft. But ultimately, the ultra-Orthodox parties did not back the effort. The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which resulting in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says the retaliatory Israeli military offensive has killed at least 55,104 people, the majority civilians. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable. Out of 251 taken hostage during the Hamas attack, 54 are still held in Gaza including 32 the Israeli military says are dead.
