AMMAN: A group of Jordanian activists and trade unionists set off for Gaza on Tuesday to deliver the blockaded Palestinian enclave aid relief and medical supplies overland from Egypt, organizers said.
"The convoy left today for Gaza … 150 people including unionists, journalists and academics as well as 25 vehicles carrying supplies and medical aid," Alaa Borqan, spokesman for the Islamist-dominated trade unions, told AFP.
"The group plans to establish a hospital for children in Gaza. The convoy is expected to arrive at the Rafah crossing on Wednesday, and we are currently in touch with the Egyptian authorities to grant us entry."
Last month, Egypt banned a group of Jordanian trade unionists from Gaza through Rafah, Gaza’s only crossing which bypasses Israel, saying they had failed to give prior notice of their arrival.
Egypt had kept Rafah largely closed since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007, but President Hosni Mubarak ordered it open after a deadly Israeli naval raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla on May 31.
Israel government has since announced an easing of its blockade.
