Departed from Istanbul on 16 December, the Palestine convoy has been travelling for two weeks to reach the Gaza Strip. It arrived in Latakia on 31 December and was planning to go to Arish by sea from here; however, local ships have refused to carry the convoy due to fear of being hit by Israeli forces. The 400 activists along the 200-vehicle convoy will spend the night in their vehicles and outdoors in sleeping bags. Bülent Yıldırım, head of the IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, one of the organizers of the convoy, said: “Egypt agreed to our conditions, but we have to traverse a longer route now due to change in route. The shipping companies that were going to take us from Latakia to Arish backed out of the agreement on grounds of possible Israeli strikes. We are looking for a ship to rent and we might even transfer the activists to Arish by plane if needed. We will spend the night here in Latakia outdoors. The journey from Latakia to Arish takes 20 hours. We are planning to enter Gaza on 3 January and deliver the vehicles, medical materials and medication.”