Gaza - A European aid convoy is expected to arrive in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the government of Hamas, which controls the blockaded territory, announced on Saturday.

The Convoy of Hope, led by European parliamentarians, is scheduled to arrive in the Egyptian port city of Portsaid Saturday evening and continue to northern Sinai, which borders Gaza, government officials added.

Hamdi Shaath, a Hamas leader, urged Egyptian authorities to allow the 40-truck convoy into Gaza through the Rafah border crossing.

The 12 lawmakers and the convoy carry medical aid, wheelchairs and programs to enable blind people to use computers, Shaath said.

Israel imposed a tight blockade on Gaza in 2007, when Hamas routed the security forces of moderate president Mahmoud Abbas and seized the coastal strip.

In January 2009, Israel ended a three-week offensive in Gaza, leaving more than 1,300 Palestinians dead and thousands of houses and public building destroyed.

In March, the outspoken British member of Parliament, George Galloway, arrived in the Gaza Strip with about 50 volunteers and 100 vehicles carrying aid. (dpa)