Libyan forces detain Gaza aid convoy activists at Sirte checkpoint
Forces loyal to Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar have detained members of a land convoy trying to bring aid to Gaza at a checkpoint in Sirte. The incident involved activists travelling as part of a convoy intended to deliver assistance by road. After the detention, activists from Europe and the United States released pre-recorded video appeals.
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The confirmed details available so far indicate that the detention took place at a checkpoint in Sirte on 26 May 2026. The forces involved were described as loyal to Haftar, who commands a powerful armed faction in eastern Libya. No further information has been given on the number of people detained or the length of their detention.
The convoy was attempting to move aid towards Gaza, making the incident part of a wider effort to use land routes for humanitarian support. That gives the detention significance beyond the checkpoint itself, because it affects a cross-border aid initiative with international participants. Rights groups have also said fighters linked to the Libyan National Army have a record of arbitrary detention and torture, adding to concern around how detainees may be treated.
The case matters because it sits at the intersection of security control, humanitarian access and regional politics. Libya remains divided between rival power centres, and forces aligned with Haftar exercise control over large areas in the east and centre of the country. Any obstruction of a Gaza-bound convoy can also draw attention from activists and governments watching efforts to deliver aid into a highly sensitive conflict environment.
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Haftar's forces have long been a major actor in Libya's fragmented security landscape. The Libyan National Army, which they are associated with, has been accused by rights groups of arbitrary detention and torture, although the row provided does not give details of any specific allegation linked to this incident. The release of pre-recorded appeals by activists from Europe and the US suggests the convoy included international participants and that organisers had prepared for the possibility of detention or disruption.
What remains unclear is how many activists were detained, where they are being held, and whether they will be released or charged. It is also not known whether the convoy will continue towards Gaza or be forced to stop in Libya. Further updates would be needed to establish the full scale of the disruption and any response from the convoy organisers or Libyan authorities.
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