FEBRUARY 28, 2024

A petition bearing the signatures of 200+ Egyptian and 50+ Arab public figures was handed to a representative of Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday, in which we demand the Egyptian authorities allow the delivery of aid trucks into the Gaza Strip escorted by international delegations to #BreakTheSiege.

“Egypt is the only state that shares a land border with G@z@,” the petition reads. “The Rafah Crossing is the Strip’s only artery which is not controlled by the Occupat!on, nor should it be.”

This broad coalition presents a practical, people-led solution to the manufactured logjam around aid access: “We, along with hundreds of prominent Arab and international figures who support the Palest!n!an people’s right to life and freedom, are prepared to ride into G@z@ with humanitarian aid trucks. This requires the Egyptian authorities to allow us to cross the Sinai peninsula and then pass through the Rafah Crossing.”

Given the looming invasion of Rafah and the ongoing starvat!on of the North, it is crucial for us to act now and prevent a situation from materializing where 2.3 million Palest!n!ans are completely surrounded by a genoc!dal force.

Please take a moment to echo our appeal:

1. Sign the petition

2. If you’re outside Egypt, write to the Egyptian embassy in your city

3. Post the letter you sent and ask people around you to do the same

#OpenRafahCrossing #BreakTheSiege

—

DECEMBER 04, 2023

Over the past three days, we observed how the Egyptian authorities detained, disappeared and revoked the visas of four international activists and forced them to leave the country. Members of “International Activists for a Free Palestine”, these four came from America, France, Australia and Argentina for Gaza – Gaza which has been subjected to genocide for the last two months.

The only “crime” committed by the four was that they, along with other activists, went to the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on November 30 to deliver a letter. The letter called on Egypt to support the Palestinian people in resisting Israeli expulsion plans; to open the Rafah crossing for the flow of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of injured and ill Palestinians; to grant permission to humanitarian convoys, including the Global Conscience Convoy; and to facilitate the entry of medics, journalists and relief crews to Gaza. As they delivered their letter, other activists held up a banner calling for a ceasefire and a free Palestine, from the river to the sea. The four were escorted inside the MFA and held at an undisclosed location for a full day before they appeared the next day in Boulaq police station. They were forced to book flights and leave the country, one after the other. We, at the Global Conscience Convoy, wonder: what did these activists do wrong? Isn’t their letter in line with the official Egyptian position – supporting Palestine, rejecting the forcible expulsion of Palestinians, and stressing that the fault for shutting the Rafah Crossing lies with Israel not Egypt?

“International Activists for a Free Palestine” formed as a group in Cairo. Some of its members came in response to the call for our Convoy on November 7. Others came to show solidarity with Palestine by any means available. After a long wait for clearances for our Convoy, they decided to act independently, with the same goal as ours: to support Palestine, seek a ceasefire and break the siege on Gaza. The detention and deportation of the four activists at the same time that Israel’s brutal aggression resumed poses a question: why has Egypt, which used to be one of Palestine’s biggest supporters, been obstructing national and international expressions of solidarity with Palestine?

The Egyptian authorities should rethink these practices. They should act in line with Egypt’s official position which denounces the killing, siege, expulsion and resettlement plans currently being carried out by Israeli Occupation Forces. The actions of the Israeli Occupation Forces are monstrous. Let the convoys pass. Let the expressions of solidarity pass. Humanity is being tested in Gaza and Gaza is bleeding alone. Let the world in to support Gaza.

—

NOVEMBER 22, 2023

Urgent appeal

Given the recent developments regarding the approach of a temporary truce in the Gaza Strip, we are intensifying our efforts to ensure the arrival of the Global Conscience Convoy to the Rafah Crossing.

The Global Conscience Convoy calls on our partners in struggle and humanity to make use of the temporary cessation of Israel’s brutal bombardment. Join us in demanding immediate security clearance for our convoy to enter Gaza during this crucial period, as we call for a permanent ceasefire and unconditional, permanent opening of the Rafah crossing.

Our aim is to bring medics and journalists into the most severely affected areas in the Gaza Strip, and to provide essential support to the deteriorating health sector and ensure the work of civil defense crews who have endured significant hardships and losses over the past month and a half. It's time to do everything required to let all these crews in, without interference or obstruction by the Israeli Occupation authorities.

Never before has Gaza been in such dire need of humanitarian and medical aid. This aid must be allowed entry without condition, in addition to teams of doctors, researchers and journalists. We must make sure enough fuel is delivered for what remains of the infrastructure necessary for life to function.

The Global Conscience Convoy presents a historic opportunity for us all to help break the siege on Gaza. It has been 17 years. It is time for us to act on our humanitarian responsibility towards the people of Palestine who have remained steadfast on their land in the face of efforts to eradicate and displace them.

Your support is crucial to the success of the Global Conscience Convoy and to breaking the siege on Gaza once and for all.

—

NOVEMBER 18, 2023

Dear all,

Geography calls on us.

Gaza has been living for over a month under a harrowing Israeli war, where we have seen the worst yet in terms of fatalities, destruction, while those alive have to live with the pain of injuries, loss, displacement and everyday thirst, hunger and cold.

Besides Israel, Gaza only shares a land border with Egypt. In this time of catastrophe, moving toward that border from our side becomes the most sensical act of global solidarity.

This is the logic of the Global Conscience Convoy. By being present on the border, we witness, we connect, we see better, we understand more.

We understand more that this war comes at the tail end of a 17-year siege that has been normalized, and where humans’ in-take of food, water and fuel, among other things, was calculated to the bare minimum.

This war has shown us, yet again, but perhaps with a difference of extent, the level to which Palestinians, and us with them, are being failed. We are being failed by history, by states, by international instruments such as humanitarian law and human rights law, by almost all forms of reigning institutional power.

This war has also shown us that there remains power in our hands as people, especially when we build it, nourish it and grow it collectively. For one, the people of Gaza are showing us the humbling power of survival in the midst of aerial bombardments and ground invasion.

The Global Conscience Convoy is a space toward tapping into this power; it is a movement to get closer to Palestine.

The Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, with its current progressive leadership, has initiated the call for the convoy, which aims to peacefully call for the opening of the Rafah crossing for humanitarian aid, medical crews and journalistic crews. The convoy wants to see this war over, and to support the Palestinian people in standing against Israel’s expulsion plans.

The convoy is facing challenges obtaining the security clearance needed and has had to postpone the initially announced date, November 24. There are undoubtedly political challenges to organizing a movement like this. Let’s navigate them together and keep our eyes on the border, on Palestine.

Let’s make sure this convoy can happen.

You can post a video endorsing the convoy and/or expressing your intent to take part in it. You can also post a photo with a note: “Let the #GlobalConscienceConvoy go, #OpenRafahCrossing” on Twitter and Instagram. Other things you can do are listed here.

For any queries or suggestions, please write us on: press@globalconscienceconvoy.org

Consult the convoy’s website here, as well Twitter and Instagram for ongoing updates.

In solidarity,

The Global Conscience Convoy volunteers