A mercy convoy from Bradford carrying £250,000 of medical supplies was due to reach the border crossing from Egypt to Gaza today.

A total of 45 travellers from Bradford, who are part of the Viva Palestina group, are taking four ambulances and ten trucks full of medical equipment to the Palestinian community. At the start of this week, members of the convoy had reached Amman, in Jordan, and were confident of reaching the Rafah crossing from Egypt into Gaza on Boxing Day.

They have been joined by 1,300 others in more than 220 vehicles from 43 countries including Malaysia, Australia, Belgian, Turkey and Poland, on their 16-day journey.

The group took a two-day break in the luxury Sahara hotel in Damascus before leaving for Jordan, on Tuesday, December 22.

Previously, they have had to sleep in their cabs overnight, often in freezing conditions.

Crowds have been gathering by the roadside to wish the travellers well on their journey, handing out red roses.

The tour organiser, Kevin Ovenden, said one Turkish woman pawned her wedding ring to contribute to the convoy’s expenses.

In Damascus, they met with some of the 150,000 Palestinian refugees who are stranded in Syria and Lebanon. The convoy was held up for hours on the border between Syria and Jordan as the authorities demanded that it stay away from the Jordanian capital, Amman.

After a stand-off of over six hours, the convoyers were allowed to proceed with their original plans.

The Bradford team are organising a big welcome for the travellers when they fly back to UK.

Karl Dallas said: “Date and venue cannot be fixed until we know when they get into the strip, where they plan to stay for three days, but it will be a big event in Bradford’s New Year calendar. We are negotiating with some very big names from the world of sport and showbusiness to attend and show the depth of support from ordinary people for the people of Gaza.”