Defying Zionist Piracy: Maghreb Solidarity Convoy to Gaza Blazes Forward Despite Attack on Humanitarian Ship ‘Madleen’

Despite the Zionist regime’s aggression against the Madleen, the North African peoples remain undeterred. From Tunis to Tripoli and beyond, a collective voice is rising—resolute, fearless, and unwavering in its demand to end the genocidal siege on Gaza.

Hundreds of Tunisian activists gathered at Avenue Habib Bourguiba in central Tunis at 3:00 a.m. GMT, finalizing logistical and registration procedures before the convoy’s official departure at 7:30 a.m. The moment was charged with emotion as scores of citizens—waving Palestinian and Tunisian flags—lined the streets to bid farewell to the humanitarian procession.

The convoy comprises delegations from Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, and Mauritania, and is supported by major civil and professional institutions, including the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), the Tunisian Red Crescent, and the National Order of Physicians. A sea of voices chanted slogans such as, “With our soul and our blood, we sacrifice for you, Gaza!”—a resounding testament to the region’s moral clarity and sense of historical duty.

According to the convoy’s organizers, the journey is expected to last approximately 14 days, crossing Libya and Egypt, before reaching the Rafah border crossing. It is not only a logistical undertaking but a symbolic campaign of moral outrage and humanitarian commitment, aimed at exposing the full brutality of the blockade and channeling material aid directly to the people of Gaza.

Thousands of volunteers—including doctors, engineers, journalists, civil society leaders, and activists—have joined the caravan. Among them are Algerians who departed on Sunday from the headquarters of the Académie Jil El Tarjih, led by Sheikh Yahia Sari, a prominent member of the Association of Algerian Muslim Scholars, en route to join their Maghrebi counterparts at the Tunisian-Libyan border.

In a statement issued Saturday, the Tunisian Coordinating Committee for Joint Action for Palestine declared that the convoy aims to demand an end to Israel’s genocidal war, facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid, and shatter the silence of complicity.

From cities across Tunisia—Sousse, Sfax, Gabes, and Ben Guerdane—additional groups are converging toward Libya, sending an unmistakable message: Gaza is not alone. The convoy hopes to establish new channels of cooperation with Arab and international aid organizations to guarantee uninterrupted humanitarian delivery.

This bold initiative follows the shocking hijacking of the civilian aid ship Madleen, which was seized at dawn on June 9 in international waters by Zionist naval forces. Madleen, flying the British flag, was carrying unarmed humanitarian volunteers and critical relief supplies intended for Gaza. The Zionist attack, which saw the ship forcibly redirected to Ashdod and its passengers detained, sparked international outrage and further confirmed the Zionist entity’s criminal disregard for international law and human rights.

In the face of this maritime terrorism, the Caravan of Steadfastness emerges as both a moral rebuttal and a strategic continuation of Madleen’s mission. It affirms that neither piracy nor repression will quell the rising tide of solidarity sweeping across the Arab world and beyond.

The people of the Maghreb have spoken: Gaza’s cry will not be silenced, and its pain will not be ignored. As Zionist forces try to seal Gaza’s borders, Arab solidarity is breaching those very walls with a force more enduring than weapons—the will of free peoples.

Let the world witness: the spirit of Madleen sails on—this time on land, across deserts and borders, carried by thousands who refuse to stand idle in the face of genocide.