Pro-Hamas ‘Resilience Convoy’ Heads Across North Africa to Egyptian Border With Gaza

Latest Developments

• Activists Head to Gaza via Land Convoy: More than 7,000 pro-Hamas activists drawn from several North African countries crossed from Tunisia into Libya on June 10, traveling in a land convoy that aims to reach the city of Rafah in Gaza. Organizers of the Soumoud (“Resilience”) Convoy said that their goal was to “bring food and humanitarian aid to Gaza and open a humanitarian corridor.” The land-based convoy began its journey one day after the IDF prevented a group of activists led by the far-left Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg from docking in Gaza on a yacht that was carrying a small amount of aid.
• ‘A Message of Challenge and Will’: A spokesman for the convoy, Ghassen Henchiri, told Tunisian radio that the convoy was composed of 14 buses and more than 100 other vehicles. The convoy has highlighted the ongoing closure of Gaza’s border with Egypt, where the convoy is headed next on its way to Gaza. One activist admitted that it was unlikely that the Egyptian authorities would permit a crossing into Gaza, adding that the convoy would nevertheless send “a message of challenge and will.”
• Designated Algerian Group Among Organizers: One of the organizations supporting the convoy, the Algerian Baraka Association, was among the groups and individuals sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury on June 10 for providing funding to Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organizations. The convoy is expected to spend at least four days in Libya, where civil war has raged for most of the past decade. Organizers did not say whether they had plans to aid the Libyan population as well, despite the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs assessment that “an estimated 823,000 people, including 248,000 children, require humanitarian assistance due to ongoing political instability, conflict and a deteriorating economy.”  

FDD Expert Response

“While the latest effort by nefarious activists to breach Gaza was unsuccessful, it may catalyze other like-minded groups to pursue similar attempts via land or sea. This emerging trend signals a potential shift in the operational tactics of the pro-Hamas networks, which may increasingly seek to manufacture high-profile confrontations under the guise of humanitarian action. Such developments will likely require heightened vigilance and coordination between Israel and Egypt, both of whom share a border with Gaza.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“While the organizers of the convoy hope to make Israel look like a villain, their road trip will highlight that Egypt has turned a blind eye to — and has even exploited — Palestinian suffering. It is no surprise that at least one of the organizations involved has raised funds for Hamas. The instability caused by this pro-Hamas effort could lead to friction between the Iranian-backed terrorist group and neighboring Arab governments.” — David May, Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst

FDD Background and Analysis

“‘The Show Is Over:’ Gaza-Bound Activist Vessel Redirected to Israel,” FDD Flash Brief

“‘False Reporting’: GHF Counters Widespread Media Claims of Israeli Attack on Palestinians Seeking Aid in Gaza,” FDD Flash Brief

“Deaths Reported as Chaos Engulfs WFP Warehouse in Gaza,” FDD Flash Brief