Sirte - Saba:
The Maghreb Steadfastness Convoy, aiming to break the siege on Gaza, is scheduled to continue its sit-in west of the Libyan city of Sirte on Tuesday, after withdrawing from continuing its march towards the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing on Monday.
The Joint Action Coordination for Palestine announced on Monday that it had withdrawn from advancing the Steadfastness Convoy towards the Rafah crossing, following continued prevention of its passage through Sirte by the General Command forces.
The organizers of the Steadfastness Convoy, a land convoy seeking to break the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip, announced that they had decided to withdraw from the convoy's journey after the eastern Libyan authorities insisted on preventing it from crossing into Egypt.
Spokesperson for the convoy, Wael Nawar, told RT that this decision came "after the General Command forces insisted on preventing the convoy from moving eastward." He also confirmed that the sit-in would continue in the Buirat al-Hassoun area, west of Sirte, until the release of 15 of their comrades who were arrested in recent days.
Nawar added that the coordination committee considers the arrests "arbitrary" and demands the immediate release of all detainees. He emphasized the convoy participants' commitment to their solidarity goal of breaking the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip.
The Joint Action for Palestine Coordination Committee told Al Jazeera, "It was decided to cancel the steadfastness convoy's journey after eastern Libyan forces insisted on preventing the convoy from crossing Sirte."
The coordination committee said that the decision came after it was unable to obtain security approval to cross Libyan territory toward Egypt.
Security forces affiliated with the eastern Libyan authorities stopped the convoy on the outskirts of Sirte and prevented it from continuing, under the pretext of awaiting security approval.
On Saturday, the convoy, which includes more than 1,500 activists from Maghreb countries as part of a popular solidarity movement in support of the Palestinians besieged in Gaza, said it was subjected to a systematic blockade by the eastern Libyan authorities, who prevented it from advancing towards Sirte in the north of the country.
The organizers were scheduled, according to the organizers, to cross the Sinai Peninsula by bus to reach the city of Arish, located approximately 350 kilometers east of Cairo. The participants were then scheduled to continue on foot for a distance of 50 kilometers to the Egyptian side of Rafah.