Aid Convoy Struggles to Reach Gaza

Viva Palestina Report on Al Jazeera English

Sohail Rahman reports and discusses Egypt's decision to block the Viva Palestina Convoy from entering Egypt at Nuweiba. Includes commentary from Institute of Palestinian Studies' Mouin Rabbanu and a live(ly!) phone interview with George Galloway at the Jordan/Syria Jaber border crossing.

A convoy trying to take aid to Gaza has returned to Syria from Jordan after Egypt refused it permission to travel via the Red Sea. The convoy of around 250 vehicles includes two ambulances and over 10 tonnes of humanitarian aid from Ireland. It is accompanied by over 450 activists from across the world.

The sea journey from Latakia to El-Arish will take the convoy through the waters between Israel and the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Turkey dispatched an official on Saturday to try to convince the Egyptians to allow the convoy to go through the Red Sea port of Nuweiba - the most direct route.

But Egypt insisted that the convoy can only enter through El-Arish, on its Mediterranean coast. Israel and Egypt have severely restricted travel to and from blockaded Gaza since the Islamist Hamas movement seized power there in June 2007.

Egypt's Rafah crossing with Gaza is the only access point into the Palestinian territory that bypasses Israel.

Posted December 29, 20009

  

 

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