Minister asked to comment on detention of Irish politician in Egypt
The partner of an Irish politician who was detained in Egypt has called on Ireland's Foreign Affairs Minister to make a statement on the matter.
People Before Profit-Solidarity TD (MP) Paul Murphy said he had been detained in Egypt while attempting to march to the Rafah crossing into Gaza as part of a large demonstration and effort to get aid into the region.
The opposition politician said his phone and passport were confiscated on Friday before being put on a bus to Cairo airport for deportation.
His partner, Councillor Jess Spear, appealed to Foreign Affairs Minister and deputy premier Simon Harris to make a public statement.
In a statement, she said: 'Paul was detained for hours this afternoon and forced onto a bus to be brought to Cairo airport for deportation. Paul's phone has been taken but he was allowed to call me briefly this evening.'
She added: 'It is a serious matter for a member of the Dail to be detained in Egypt and forcibly deported just because he was participating in a peaceful march to try and get humanitarian aid into starving people in Gaza.
'I appeal to the Tanaiste to make a public statement calling on the Egyptian authorities to release Paul and all the others detained and to let them continue their humanitarian mission to Gaza.'
Mr Murphy flew to Cairo on Thursday and set off towards Gaza on Friday.
Prior to his phone being taken, he said his passport had been confiscated by the Egyptian army along with the passports of other people in the group who were stopped.
My bus and group of marchers has been stopped by the Egyptian authorities and our passports taken.
They are telling us to get on a bus, but it is not clear where they will take us. We fear they intend to report us to stop us from marching to Gaza. pic.twitter.com/S2h5cCeviC
— Paul Murphy 🇵🇸 (@paulmurphy_TD) June 13, 2025
He said those being detained were being asked to board a bus and he believed they were going to be deported.
Mr Murphy told the PA news agency that several other Irish citizens were among those who have been stopped.
In a video, he said: 'It's looking worrying that the Egyptian authorities are going to act to prevent our peaceful march to Gaza, to demand that Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid, of food, of water, of medical supplies, is ended.
'I'm just asking people to redouble their efforts, to get on to your own government, in Ireland's case get on to (Foreign Affairs Minister) Simon Harris, your local TD, ask them to pressurise the Egyptian regime to allow us to engage in our peaceful march.'
He added: 'The world has watched a horrific genocide for the past 20 months. Since March, a total attempt of starvation.
'And that this is a peaceful march to demand that it be ended and demand that western governments stop their complicity.'
Mr Murphy then posted a livestream video on X in which Egyptian authorities could be seen forcibly dragging some of the participants away from a sit-down protest.
The livestream abruptly ended after his phone was taken, a People Before Profit spokesman said, adding that he had been put on a bus for Cairo airport.
A post by an administrator on his X account says: 'We urgently need Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris to intervene, demand he is freed, his passport and phone returned and the protesters are allowed to peacefully march to Gaza.'
On request for a comment, a spokesman for Mr Harris referred to a statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The statement said the department was 'closely monitoring the situation' along with its embassy in Egypt.
'Embassy officials are engaging with the relevant local authorities and are in contact with EU and other partners regarding the situation.
'The department is in contact with a number of citizens and is providing advice and guidance.
'As set out in our travel advice, the vicinity of the Rafah border crossing is particularly dangerous at the moment and the border crossing is currently closed.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
The Latest: Israel threatens more attacks on Iran after Tehran retaliates with missile strikes
Israel warned of more attacks on Iran on Saturday after Tehran fired waves of missiles and drones that killed three people and wounded dozens in Israel. Iran was retaliating for a series of blistering Israeli attacks on its nuclear and military facilities on Friday. Israel said hundreds of airstrikes over the past two days also killed nine senior scientists and experts involved in Iran's nuclear program, in addition to several top generals. Iran's U.N. ambassador said 78 people were killed and more than 320 wounded. The U.S. and Iran had been scheduled to hold their sixth round of indirect talks over Iran's nuclear program on Sunday in Oman, but Oman's foreign minister said that meeting will not now take place after Israel's strikes on Iran. ___ Here's the latest: Leaders of Egypt and Turkey say Israel risks pushing Mideast into 'full-fledged chaos' The leaders of Egypt and Turkey on Saturday warned that Israel's 'escalatory approach' risks plunging the entire Middle East into a 'full-fledged chaos.' A statement from the Egyptian presidency said President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed in a phone call that Israel's attacks on Iran could lead to 'catastrophic repercussions' in the region. They called for an immediate cessation of military operations and a return to the Omani-mediated nuclear talks between the United States and Iran. Israeli drone strikes a refinery in Iran's South Pars gas field, semiofficial news agencies say An Israeli drone struck a refinery in Iran's South Pars gas field Saturday, semiofficial Iranian news agencies reported. If confirmed, it would mark the first Israeli attack on Iran's oil and natural gas industry. Israel did not immediately acknowledge attacking the field, but such sites do have air defense systems around them, which Israel has been targeting since Friday. The Fars and Tasnim news agencies both reported the strike, saying it happened in Phase 14 of the field. Iran shares the gas field, which stretches across the Persian Gulf, with Qatar. Oman says US-Iran talks over Tehran's nuclear program 'will not now take place' Oman's foreign minister says planned talks between Iran and the United States over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program 'will not now take place' after Israel's strikes targeting the Islamic Republic. Badr al-Busaidi made the announcement on social media Saturday. It comes after Iran's foreign minister said any talks would be 'unjustifiable' amid the ongoing attacks. Oman has been mediating the talks. 'The Iran-U.S. talks scheduled to be held in Muscat this Sunday will not now take place,' al-Busaidi wrote. 'But diplomacy and dialogue remain the only pathway to lasting peace.' A sixth round was due to happen in Muscat, Oman's capital, before the Israeli strikes began Friday. Russia offers to assist in de-escalating tensions Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, reaffirmed Moscow's readiness to help resolve issues surrounding Iran's nuclear program and to assist in de-escalating tensions between Iran and Israel. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the conversation, initiated by the Iranian side, followed a call Friday between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Masoud Pezeshkian. The ministry said Russia reiterated its condemnation of Israel's military actions against Iran, calling them a violation of the U.N. charter and international law. The Israeli military says its strikes on Tehran were deepest ever Israeli warplanes hit more than 400 targets across Iran in the past 24 hours as part of Operation 'Rising Lion,' including dozens of missile sites and air defense systems in Tehran, the military said. Separately, it said over 20 senior Iranian commanders were eliminated, including top intelligence and missile officials. Israeli army spokesperson Effie Defrin said the road to Tehran was now 'open,' calling the strikes the deepest ever carried out by the Israeli Air Force. Britain's prime minister and Saudi crown prince call for a de-escalation Keir Starmer and Mohammed bin Salman spoke on Saturday about the "gravely concerning situation in the Middle East and agreed on the need to de-escalate,'' Downing Street Office said in a statement. The United Kingdom is "poised to work closely with its allies in the coming days to support a diplomatic resolution,' it said. Egypt pushes back the opening of its new museum, blames Israel-Iran conflict The Grand Egyptian Museum will open later this year because of the Israeli-Iranian escalation, authorities said Saturday. The mega-project near the famed Giza Pyramids was sent to open on July 3. The Tourism and Antiquities Ministry said the opening was moved to the fourth quarter of 2025, without giving a date and citing ongoing regional developments. The museum has been under construction for about two decades. Some sections have been open since 2022 for limited tours. However its overall opening has been repeatedly delayed, including because of the coronavirus pandemic. Iran's Natanz nuclear facility suffered huge damage, satellite images show The images show multiple buildings either damaged or destroyed, including structures experts say supply power to the facility. The images were shot on Saturday by Planet Labs PBC and analyzed by The Associated Press. Natanz's enrichment plant — where Iran enriched uranium to 60% purity, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90% — was also destroyed. All the Natanz facilities damaged in Israeli strikes are above ground and it doesn't appear from the images that below-ground enrichment halls had any apparent damage, though they likely are without electricity. No nuclear talks with US this weekend, signals Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi says nuclear talks with the United States would be 'unjustifiable' after Israeli strikes on his country — an indication there would be no negotiations this weekend. The U.S. and Iran teams were to hold talks in Oman on Sunday. Araghchi spoke in a phone call with Kaja Kallas, the European Union's top diplomat. Israeli airstrikes were the 'result of the direct support by Washington,' he alleged, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. The U.S. has said it is not part of the strikes. The 'continuation of the indirect talks between Iran and the U.S. is unjustifiable in a situation where the wildness by the Zionist regime continues,' he added. There was no immediate reaction from the White House. Egypt's top diplomat says Israeli strikes on Iran can push the region into 'chaos' Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty denounced Israel's strikes on Iran as a 'serious escalation' that could push the region to 'a state of instability and chaos.' Abdelatty's comments came in phone calls with his Italian and Spanish counterparts, the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement. Iranian media report more Israeli strikes Footage shared by an affiliate of Iran's state TV showed a fire after an Israeli strike at Zagros Khodro, a former car manufacturing plant in Borujerd. The state-run IRNA news agency also reported an Israeli strike on Saturday around Abadan in Iran's southwestern Khuzestan province. Other strikes appeared to be happening in Kermanshah near a military barracks. Israel gives first report of wounded soldiers The Israeli military says seven soldiers were lightly wounded on Friday night in an Iranian missile strike in central Israel. It says they were briefly hospitalized and sent home. This is the first report of military casualties in the operation. It gave no further details on where the soldiers were located. Iran's supreme leader names new head of the Revolutionary Guard's aerospace division Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has appointed Gen. Majid Mousavi, to replace Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Friday. The Guard's aerospace division oversees Iran's arsenal of ballistic missiles. Israel's main international airport will stay closed The airport authority says the it will stay closed until further notice. Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv has been closed to traffic since Israel attacked Iran's military and nuclear facilities on Friday morning and Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes at Israel. The announcement came as Lebanon, Jordan and Syria said they were reopening their airspaces on Saturday after closing them. The pope appeals on Israel and Iran to show responsibility and act reasonably It was one of the strongest appeals for peace since the election in early May of the first American pontiff. 'The situation in Iran and Israel has seriously deteriorated,' Pope Leo XIV said during an audience in St. Peter's Basilica. He stressed that 'the commitment to building a safer world free from the nuclear threat must be pursued through respectful encounters and sincere dialogue to build a lasting peace.' Leo also noted that 'no one should ever threaten the existence of another.' Israel's defense minister says 'Tehran will burn' if it continues firing missiles Defense Minister Israel Katz issued the stark warning after an assessment meeting with the army's chief of staff. He says Iran will pay a heavy price for harming Israeli citizens. Israel's military threatens more strikes on targets in Iranian capital The Israeli military said around noon on Saturday that its fighter jets 'were set to resume striking targets in Tehran.' Meanwhile, the U.N. nuclear watchdog — the International Atomic Energy Agency — confirmed in a post on X that the Isfahan nuclear site in Iran was targeted several times on Friday. 'No increase in off-site radiation levels has been reported as of now,' the agency said. Syria also opens its airspace after the Israel-Iran deadly attacks Syria's civil aviation authority says it's reopening the airspace on Saturday but will follow the situation in the region and take any necessary measures if needed. The airspace was closed on Friday. National carrier Syrian Air also said it is resuming some of its flights. Iran confirms 2 more high-ranking generals were killed in Israeli strikes Iranian state television identified the two killed as Gen. Gholamreza Mehrabi, the deputy of intelligence for the armed forces' general staff, and Gen. Mehdi Rabbani, the deputy of operations. It did not say where the men were killed. Israel's strikes on Friday killed multiple high-ranking officers within Iran's armed forces, including the chief of staff of the army and the head of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. 3 injured in Jordan by unspecified falling object during Israel-Iran attacks Three people were wounded in Jordan's northern city of Irbid when an object fell on a home, state media reported Saturday. They were taken to a hospital and are in stable condition, the Jordan News Agency said. The report did not specify what the object was, but Iranian missiles and drones fired toward Israel flew over Jordan. Jordanian authorities have begun an investigation, the report said. Lebanon reopens its airspace after exchange of fire between Israel and Iran Lebanon reopened its airspace on Saturday morning, hours after closing it due to the exchange of fire between Israel and Iran. Lebanon's Ministry of Public Works and Transport apologized to passengers whose flights were delayed, saying it had closed the airspace late Friday for the safety of travelers. The airspace was reopened at 10 a.m. (0700 GMT) on Saturday. Satellite images confirm damage to Iran's ballistic missile arsenal Satellite images analyzed Saturday by The Associated Press began to confirm some of the damage sustained by Iran's ballistic missile arsenal by the Israeli assault on the country. Images from Planet Labs PBC taken Friday showed damage at two missile bases, one in Kermanshah and one in Tabriz, both in western Iran. At Kermanshah, where the base is up against a mountainside, burns could be seen across a wide area after the attack. In Tabriz, images showed damage at multiple sites on the base. Iran has not acknowledged the damage, though it reported on Israeli strikes in the area. Top Sunni university condemns Israel's attack on Iran Al-Azhar al-Sharif, the Sunni world's foremost institution of religious learning, has condemned Israel's attack on Iran, describing Israel as a 'rogue entity.' 'The arrogance displayed by the Israeli occupation reflects the darkest form of occupation in modern history,' the Cairo-based university said in a statement early Saturday. It called on the international community to take 'urgent actions to halt the repeated violations committed by this rogue entity.' Iran is a powerhouse of Shiite Muslims in the region and often at odds with Sunni nations. Israeli military says it hit dozens of targets in Iran overnight The Israeli military said it carried out overnight strikes on dozens of targets, including air defenses, in the area of Iran's capital, Tehran. Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, the Israeli air force commander, said the strikes carried 'operational and national significance.' Israel pauses natural gas supplies to Egypt, authorities in Cairo say Israel has paused natural gas supplies to Egypt amid its conflict with Iran, authorities in Cairo said. The move has forced the Egyptian government to stop supplying gas to some industries, according to a Friday statement from the Ministry of Petroleum. Some power plants that use natural gas in their operations have also reported fuel oil shortages amid peak summer demand, it said. Egypt faces a deepening domestic gas shortfall, with a more than 7% shortage in its daily gas needs to operate its power grid. Iran's Foreign Ministry calls nuclear talks with US 'meaningless' after Israeli strikes Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman on Saturday called further nuclear talks with the United States 'meaningless' after Israeli strikes on the country, state television said. The comments by Esmail Baghaei further threw possible talks between the two nations, initially scheduled to take place Sunday in Oman, into doubt. 'The U.S. did a job that made the talks become meaningless,' Baghaei was quoted as saying. He added that Israel has passed all Iran's red lines by committing a 'criminal act' through its strikes. However, he stopped short of saying the talks were cancelled. The Mizan news agency, which is run by Iran's judiciary, quoted him as saying: 'It is still not clear what we decide about Sunday talks.' Jordan will reopen its airspace to civilian aircraft Jordan will reopen its airspace to civilian aircraft on Saturday morning, its state-run media reported, signaling the Mideast kingdom believes there is no immediate danger of further attacks. Jordan's state-run Petra news agency said the skies would reopen at 7:30 a.m. local time. Jordan's airspace had seen Iranian drones and missiles cross through it, with Israeli fighter jets likely engaging targets there. The crossfire between Israel and Iran disrupted East-West travel through the Mideast, a key global aviation route. Woman dies in missile strike in Tel Aviv, hospital says A spokesperson for Beilinson Hospital in Tel Aviv said a woman was killed in an Iranian missile strike, bringing the total number of fatalities in the barrages from Iran to three. The hospital also treated seven people who were wounded in the strike early Saturday. Israel's Fire and Rescue Services said a projectile hit a building in the city. Israel's paramedic service says 2 people killed when missile hit central Israel Israel's paramedic service Magen David Adom says an Iranian missile struck near homes in central Israel early Saturday morning, killing two people and injuring 19 others. Israel's Fire and Rescue service said four homes were severely damaged. UN chief calls for escalation to stop, saying 'peace and diplomacy must prevail' UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Israel and Iran to halt their attacks on one another, while calling for diplomacy. 'Israeli bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites. Iranian missile strikes in Tel Aviv. Enough escalation. Time to stop. Peace and diplomacy must prevail,' Guterres wrote on X on Saturday. Iranian media reports a fire at Tehran's airport Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency is reporting a fire at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport, posting a video on X of a column of smoke and orange flames rising from what the outlet said was the airport. A handful of minor injuries reported from second wave of Iranian missiles Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv said it has treated seven people hurt by the second Iranian barrage; six had light injuries and the seventh was moderately wounded. Iran fires a second wave of missiles at Israel Sirens and the boom of explosions, possibly from Israeli interceptors, could be heard in the sky over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv early Saturday. AP journalists in Tel Aviv could see what appeared to be at least two Iranian missiles hit the ground, but there was no immediate word of casualties. The Israeli military said another long-range Iranian missile attack was taking place and urged civilians, already rattled by the first wave of projectiles, to head to shelter. Around three dozen people were wounded by that first wave. The Iranian outlet Nour News, which has close links with the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, said a fresh wave was being launched. Iranian air defenses are firing against Israeli attacks The sound of explosions and Iranian air defense systems firing at targets was echoing across the center of the capital, Tehran, shortly after midnight on Saturday. Additionally, an Associated Press reporter could hear air raid sirens near their home. The Associated Press
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sources: Egypt deports more activists seeking to march to Gaza border
Egyptian authorities have continued to send home foreign activists, who are trying to march to Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian enclave, sources at Cairo airport said on Saturday. Dozens of activists of different nationalities were prevented from entering Egypt for violating the country's entry procedures and were deported on the same planes that had earlier brought them to Cairo, the sources said on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. The aircraft were not granted permission to take off until the deportation procedures were completed, a measure that caused several flights to be delayed by 20-40 minutes, according to the sources. Participants in the self-styled "Global March to Gaza" had originally planned to travel from Cairo to the Egyptian city of al-Arish in Sinai, where they were to walk for about 50 kilometres to Rafah on the border with Gaza. The activists also planned to protest at the Rafah border crossing for several days starting on Sunday. Protests are heavily restricted in Egypt. Organizers said many participants had been detained, harassed, physically harmed and deported. Hundreds of activists were detained on Friday in the Egyptian city of Ismailia near the Suez Canal and had their passports confiscated, a security source said. Carola Rackete, a lawmaker in the European Parliament from Germany's The Left party, posted a video on Instagram on Friday in which she said she was turned away at one of the checkpoints. She and the other activists were purportedly loaded by force onto buses by security forces and sent back to Cairo. There was massive police violence, Rackete said in a second video posted Saturday. There was no official Egyptian comment.
Newsweek
6 hours ago
- Newsweek
'March to Gaza' Group Allegedly Assaulted After Being Detained in Egypt
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Activists involved in the Global March to Gaza, which is protesting against Israel's bombardment of the territory and offering help to the Palestinians there, have described violent scuffles at the hands of Egyptian security forces. An Irish politician who was among the activists said his phone and passport were confiscated, and a march organizer said protesters were attacked as they headed to the border at Egypt's Rafah crossing. Newsweek has contacted the march organizers and the Egyptian Foreign Ministry for comment. This illustrative image from June 12 shows activists rallying outside Egypt's Journalists Syndicate in Cairo. This illustrative image from June 12 shows activists rallying outside Egypt's Journalists Syndicate in It Matters The Global March to Gaza has been touted as one of the largest demonstrations of its kind in years. The initiative seeks to highlight the plight of Palestinians in Gaza, who have faced a bombardment due to Israel's war on Hamas. The arrests in Egypt follow Israel's interception of a boat carrying activists on their way to Gaza, including environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg. Egypt has cracked down on pro-Palestinian activists even as it publicly condemns Israeli aid restrictions and has called for an end to the war. What To Know The Global March to Gaza is a civilian-led initiative to march from Arish, Egypt, to the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip beginning on Sunday. Once in Rafah, the goal was to set up a camp and work to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza, provide humanitarian aid to the strip and protest against Israel's actions in the territory. Protest organizers said Egyptian authorities confiscated the passports of 40 activists at what they called a "toll booth turned checkpoint," with security forces detaining and using force, the Associated Press reported. Previously, hundreds arriving in Cairo were detained and deported to their home countries in Europe and North Africa. 'We are in danger. This is an emergency. We need help.' Melanie Schweizer, one of the organizers of the Global March to Gaza reports on the situation after Egyptian authorities and police attacked activists headed to the Rafah border and confiscated their passports. The… — Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 13, 2025 The activists planned to gather on the road to the Sinai to prepare for Sunday's march, although authorities had not yet granted them authorization to travel through the sensitive area. The Tunisian and Libyan delegation of the march left Tunis, Tunisia, on June 9 but was stopped in the city of Sirte, about 585 miles from the Libya-Egypt border. Antonietta Chiodo, who traveled to Cairo from Italy, said activists had been detained, interrogated, treated harshly by Egyptian authorities or deported, the AP reported. In a video message, Melanie Schweizer, one of the march organizers, said police had attacked activists on their way to the Rafah border, confiscated their passports and forced them onto a bus escorted by Egyptian security forces. She said she saw a woman being beaten. Schweizer added: "We are in danger. This is an emergency. We need help." Paul Murphy, an Irish politician with the People Before Profit–Solidarity party, posted a video on social media in which he said passports had been confiscated and that he and his fellow activists were refusing to board the "deportation bus." Meanwhile, footage widely shared on social media purported to show activists receiving a hostile reaction from citizens in Egypt. What People Are Saying Melanie Schweizer, an organizer of the Global March on Gaza, said in a video: "This is an emergency. We have just been violently dragged into the buses. ... They started to push people and drag them violently outside. They have beaten people." She added: "This is a very shocking incident." The Global March on Gaza said in a statement: "We continue to urge the Egyptian government to permit this peaceful march." Irish politician Paul Murphy said in a video on X: "It's looking worrying that the Egyptian authorities are going to act to try to prevent our peaceful march to Gaza." What Happens Next Hicham El-Ghaoui, one of the group's spokespeople, said they would refrain from demonstrating until authorized by Egypt. Activists anticipated more arrests ahead of Sunday's protest.
