Links
Are there hidden motives behind blocking of Gaza aid convoy?
The stranding of the Viva Palestina humanitarian convoy in the Jordanian port of Aqaba since Thursday has prompted speculation over why the group is being prevented entry into the besieged Gaza Strip through Egyptian territories via the Nuweiba port.
Led by British lawmaker George Galloway, the convoy, whose volunteers have topped 500 carrying medical supplies, food and hundreds of trucks and ambulances, departed London on Dec. 6, aiming to reach Gaza on the first anniversary of Israel's bombing of the city on Dec. 26, 2008.
However, their plans were thwarted by Egyptian authorities' refusal to let them enter their country through the port of Nuweiba. Spokesman to the foreign ministry Hossam Zaki said previous regulations state that El Arish port, and not Nuweiba, is the only permissible entry point for humanitarian aid for Gaza.