The North African Solidarity Convoy to Break the Siege on Gaza announced on Monday that it will return to Tunisia after receiving official notice from Libyan authorities that Egypt refused to grant the necessary permits for crossing through the Salloum border. The convoy explained that the inability to proceed by land, along with the impracticality of a sea route from Libya, led to the decision to turn back. However, it stressed that the return would only begin once all detained participants are released.

The convoy confirmed that departures would be organised starting Tuesday morning and urged those wishing to leave to coordinate in advance with the Coalition, which reported that several detainees had been released while negotiations continue for the others. The convoy also stated it would no longer accept new participants in Libya until all detainees are freed and the next steps are clarified.

Meanwhile, four major Tunisian organisations including the National Bar Association and the Tunisian General Labour Union issued a joint statement calling on eastern Libyan authorities to release all detainees from Tunisia, Libya, Algeria and Sudan. The statement highlighted that the convoy reflects the shared aspirations of North African peoples to stand with the Palestinian cause. The Coalition has also called for a protest outside the Libyan embassy in Tunis and urged immediate diplomatic action to secure the detainees’ release and support the convoy’s mission.