| Blockade of the Gaza Strip |
|---|
| Crossings |
| 2004 - 2009 |
| 2010 |
| 2011 - present |
Lifeline 3, officially Viva Palestina — a lifeline to Gaza, 3 was a convoy carrying humanitarian aid, solidarity, and a political message. It was led by George Galloway (a Respect Party politician) and Viva Palestina, a British charity. It travelled from the United Kingdom to the Gaza Strip during the winter of 2009–10, collecting volunteers and vehicles from other countries along the way, notably Turkey, due to the IHH (İnsani Yardım Vakfı) organisation. The Gaza Strip has been blockaded by Israel and Egypt since 2007, when Hamas took power in the territory following its victory in the 2006 Palestinian legislative election.
A Palestinian protest in support of the convoy culminated in the fatal shooting of an Egyptian border guard by person unknown. Violent clashes between convoy members and Egyptian police led to the deportation of Galloway and other members from Egypt and a declaration by the Egyptian government that no similar convoys would be allowed to pass through the country in the future.