A Palestinian man waits before crossing into Egypt through the Rafah border crossing, southern Gaza Strip on Thursday. Africa’s first land-based humanitarian aid relief convoy heads for the besieged Gaza Strip this June in an attempt to raise awareness about the plight of the Palestinians.

The convoy has been organized by the South African based al-Quds Foundation and supported by a myriad of civil society organizations and charities, according to a press release obtained by Press TV.

The Convoy is set to leave Cape Town in South Africa in the last week of June 2011.

It plans to pass through Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Egypt and finally docks at the coastal sliver.

The initiative is an effort to alleviate the hardship of the Palestinian people and raise awareness about their enormous suffering.

In 2006, Israel imposed economic siege on Gaza Strip effectively prevented much needed supplies from reaching the impoverished enclave.

On May 31, Israeli navy commandos stormed the Gaza Freedom flotilla as it was sailing towards the blockaded Gaza Strip in international waters, killing nine Turkish activists onboard the six-vessel civilian humanitarian assistance flotilla and injuring at least 50 others.

(Press TV)