ByMICHAEL STARR

A Gaza land convoy stalled in Sirte on Sunday night, according to the Maghreb Sumud Organization, just over a day after it had set out from Zalitan as part of an activist journey for Gaza, complementary to the concurrent Gaza flotilla

The Global Sumud Flotilla said the convoy had been paused while security risks were being evaluated, citing indications that Libyan forces were waiting at Sirte to confront them.

"We need the world to act and demand safe passage," GSF said on Instagram on Sunday.

Video published by the MSO on Monday showed the participants had erected tents next to buses and vehicles in the outskirts of the city, where the June land convoy had been stopped under similar circumstances. Organizers had said at the time that Egyptian authorities had informed Libyan factions that the convoy would not be permitted entry into Egyptian territory.

The convoy of 200 participants and thirty vehicles, most of them mobile homes, had set out from Zalitan for Rafah on Saturday, reaching Sirte on Sunday morning.

Activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel’s naval blockade, gather at a port before their departure in the southern Turkish resort of Marmaris, Turkey, May 14, 2026.
Activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel’s naval blockade, gather at a port before their departure in the southern Turkish resort of Marmaris, Turkey, May 14, 2026. (credit: REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

GSF Steering Committee member Ahmed Ghaniya said at a press conference that their mission was to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, which was bereft of food and other necessities.

“We are here due to the urgent need of our brothers and sisters in Gaza for relief and aid, and to shine a spotlight on them,” said Ghaniya. “We are on clear paths, and whatever routes are designated for us, we will follow them. Our goal is clear: to reach Gaza and break the siege.”

The new convoy is significantly smaller than the Maghreb Resilience Convoy

The newest land convoy is a tenth of the size of the 300-strong Maghreb Resilience Convoy that departed from Tunis in June.

Activists concurrently also attempted a march to Rafah from Egypt, but around 200 participants were arrested and deported upon their arrival at the Cairo airport or at their hotels. Some activists attempted to protest the Egyptian denial of their march, leading to clashes with security forces outside the Ismailia checkpoint.

The land convoy's pause came at the same time that its maritime counterpart was intercepted at sea. On Monday, GSF announced that several vessels and activists had been detained by Israeli naval forces.

Yonah Jeremy Bob and Mathilda Heller contributed to this report.