Thousands of activists from around the world are expected to descend on Egypt on Thursday for a “Global March to Gaza,” a movement aiming to break the Israeli blockade that has pushed the territory to the brink of famine.

The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly demanded an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in the war in Gaza and aid access, after the United States vetoed a similar effort in the Security Council last week.

Israel has imposed a naval blockade on Gaza since Hamas took control of the coastal enclave in 2007. It tightened its grip significantly after Hamas-led militants rampaged through southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies.

Their boat was intercepted on Monday as they attempted to break Israel's naval blockade on Gaza and deliver a symbolic amount of aid.

A convoy carrying hundreds of activists arrives in Libya after driving from Algeria and crossing to Tunisia on its way to the Gaza Strip to challenge Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid in the territory.

Six more activists from the Freedom Flotilla Gaza humanitarian aid mission aboard the Madleen boat were deported from Israel Thursday. They had sought to deliver aid to Gaza but were stopped by Israel's naval blockade.

Israel says it has deported six more activists who were detained when it seized an aid boat bound for the war-ravaged Gaza Strip

Yair Yaakov was kidnapped by Islamic Jihad in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. The other hostage will be named later, the Israeli military said.