Egyptian popular support convoy heading to Rafah Saturday

The Popular Committee to Support the Uprising of the Palestinian People, an independent movement that was recently revived, announced that its first aid convoy to Gaza would leave Cairo and head to the border on Saturday at dawn.

The campaign called for donations last week, collecting medical and other supplies needed in the stricken Gaza strip.

On Thursday, Israel announced the beginning of a ground invasion in Gaza, intensifying its attack and raising the death toll to 240 Palestinians in 10 days.

The campaign issued a list of needed supplies following communication with the people in Gaza and set up a base to receive and organize donations at the headquarters of the Bread and Freedom Party, announcing that they would leave from the Journalists’ Syndicate building at 4 am on Saturday with the aid and a popular convoy.

The popular campaign was initiated in September 2000 during the Palestinian Intifada and was recently revived in response to the current war on Gaza.

Salma Said, one of the organizers of the convoy told Mada Masr that the priority is to get the aid through to Palestine. She added that, while they’re unlikely to succeed, the convoy members would also attempt to cross into Gaza in a show of solidarity.

When it was launched last week, the campaign announced that one of its main objectives is to cross into Gaza and donate blood to show that the Egyptian people stand in solidarity with Palestine and that its position has not been altered by political developments.

Khaled Ali, founder of the Bread and Freedom Party, wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday that the campaign had collected two million pounds worth of medical supplies, far exceeding its original aim of a quarter of a million pounds.

Ali said the campaign has obtained permits for the first convoy scheduled to leave on Saturday and is currently working on obtaining permits for a second convoy to take the rest of the supplies next week.

The Egyptian military sent 500 tons of aid to Gaza last week. However, many activists have said the response of the Egyptian state to the crisis in Gaza has been insufficient. A cease-fire brokered by Egypt last week failed to stop the bloodshed.

In 2012, an Egyptian popular convoy was allowed to cross into Gaza in a show of solidarity during a similar attack on the strip.