Egyptian authorities block travel of aid convoy to Gaza

The Egyptian security authorities refused to allow a convoy organized by the Egyptian engineers syndicate to enter the Gaza Strip via Rafah crossing on Saturday evening.

Egyptian press reported that the security authorities ambushed the convoy seven kilometers from the Rafah border terminal and told the organizers that they lacked necessary security permits.

The organizers, for their part, affirmed that they had obtained all necessary papers before their travel from Cairo en route to Gaza Strip.

For his part, Kenan Obaid, the chairman of the Palestinian engineers syndicate in Gaza, asked the Cairo authorities to allow the convoy to pass without further interruption.

He said in a statement on Saturday evening that the convoy included 13 Egyptian engineers and carried with it construction material such as bricks, cement, and wood.

Obaid noted that members of the convoy staged a sit-in at the Rafah terminal to protest their entry denial, adding that the goods are Egyptian made that attempt for the first time to reach Gaza.