Pro-Palestinian protesters targeted in Egypt ahead of planned Gaza border march
The march, set for Friday, was expected to see thousands of activists from around the world gather in Egypt and travel to the Rafah border crossing with Gaza. Participants hoped to deliver humanitarian aid and draw global attention to what the United Nations has called 'the hungriest place on Earth.'
However, Egyptian authorities have launched a widespread crackdown in recent days. According to airport officials and organizers, dozens of activists were detained at Cairo International Airport and in hotels across the capital. Many were later deported without explanation.
An Egyptian official, speaking anonymously to The Associated Press, confirmed that more than three dozen activists, mostly European passport holders, had been deported in recent days.
'They intended to travel to Northern Sinai without obtaining required authorizations,' the official said.
The crackdown intensified on Thursday, when Reuters reported that at least 73 foreign nationals were deported on a flight to Istanbul. An additional 100 were reportedly still being held at the airport awaiting deportation.
Activists from around the world targeted
Saif Abukeshek, spokesperson for the Global March to Gaza, told AFP that over 200 activists were either detained at Cairo airport or interrogated in their hotels. Among them were citizens from the United States, Australia, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Algeria, and Morocco.
'Plainclothes officers came with lists of names, searched their belongings, and in some cases confiscated phones,' Abukeshek said. 'After interrogations, some were arrested and others were released. Some have already been deported.'
A group of Greek participants issued a statement saying that dozens of their members had been detained despite holding valid documents and complying with all Egyptian entry procedures. 'We have broken no law and followed every legal procedure in entering the country,' the statement read.
Despite the crackdown, organizers say the march will proceed as planned. 'We look forward to providing any additional information the Egyptian authorities require to ensure the march continues peacefully,' the organizers said in a statement.
Protesters intend to travel by bus to El Arish in the Sinai Peninsula before marching roughly 50 kilometers to the Rafah border. They aim to meet a convoy of activists traveling overland from Tunisia in support of the campaign.
The goal, organizers say, is to 'create international moral and media pressure' to open the Rafah crossing and lift the Israeli-imposed blockade on Gaza. Israel closed all borders with Gaza in March amid its ongoing war on the territory, where more than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to local authorities.
Though some aid has been allowed into Gaza in recent weeks, humanitarian agencies report that the quantities are far below what is needed and that distribution is often disrupted by Israeli attacks on aid seekers.
The Global March follows another recent effort to break the siege, the Madleen, a humanitarian aid ship carrying prominent figures including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, French MEP Rima Hassan, and Al Jazeera journalist Omar Faiad. The vessel was intercepted and seized by Israeli forces earlier this week in international waters.
Egypt's stance and Israeli pressure
Egypt has long maintained that its side of the Rafah crossing remains technically open but that access is blocked by Israel's control over the Palestinian side. On Wednesday, Egypt's Foreign Ministry reiterated that only those with proper authorization would be allowed to travel to border areas.
'Egypt holds the right to take all necessary measures to preserve its national security, including the regulation of the entry and movement of individuals within its territory, especially in sensitive border areas,' the ministry said.
Israeli officials have urged Egypt to prevent the march. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant described the participants as 'jihadist protesters,' claiming their presence at the border would 'endanger the safety of [Israeli] soldiers and will not be allowed.'
Despite mounting obstacles, Abukeshek said activists remain determined. 'We are not deterred,' he told AFP. 'We will continue with our peaceful mission to demand the lifting of the blockade and the opening of Rafah for the people of Gaza.'
In solidarity with the Palestinian people, this Arab popular movement is gaining momentum for the first time to end the aggression against the Gaza Strip, which has been under the most brutal siege in over 17 years. Israel has reclosed all crossings into Gaza since last March and completely blocked the entry of fuel, leading to the shutdown of most hospitals, bakeries, and water desalination plants. Even UN aid has not been spared, with convoys being targeted and obstructed.
Israel launched its aggression against the Gaza Strip after Operation Tufan al-Aqsa on October 7, 2023, intensifying the blockade and using starvation, thirst, and the denial of medicine as weapons against civilians.
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