Egypt stops activists marching to Gaza to draw attention to aid crisis
Egypt blocked activists planning to take part in a march to Gaza on Thursday, halting their attempt to reach the border and challenge Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid to the enclave before the march could begin.
Egyptian authorities and activists both said that dozens of people planning to march across the Sinai Peninsula were deported, but organisers said they had no plans to cancel the event.
To draw attention to the humanitarian crisis afflicting people in Gaza, marchers have for months planned to trek about 50 kilometres from the city of Arish to Egypt's border with Gaza on Sunday to "create international moral and media pressure" to open the crossing at Rafah and lift a blockade that has prevented aid from entering.
They said they had tried to coordinate with Egyptian embassies in the various countries from which the participants came, but authorities said they had not obtained authorisation for the march.
Authorities deported more than three dozen activists, mostly carrying European passports, upon their arrival at Cairo International Airport in the past two days, an Egyptian official said on Thursday.
The official said the activists aimed to travel to Northern Sinai "without obtaining required authorisations."
The standoff has put pressure on the activists' home countries, which are wary of seeing their citizens detained.
A French diplomatic official said France is in "close contact" with Egyptian authorities about French nationals who were refused entry in Egypt or detained to ensure "consular protection."
The participants risked arrest for unauthorised demonstrations in sensitive areas like the Sinai Peninsula, the official added.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly on the sensitive diplomatic matter.
Egypt has publicly denounced the restrictions on aid entering Gaza and repeatedly called for an end to the war.
It has said that the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing remains open, but access to the Strip has been blocked since Israel seized the Palestinian side of the border as part of its war with Hamas that began in October 2023.
However, authorities have for years clamped down on dissidents and activists when their criticism touches on Cairo's political and economic ties with Israel, a sensitive issue in neighbouring countries where governments maintain diplomatic relations with Israel despite broad public sympathy for Palestinians.
Egypt had earlier warned that only those who received authorisation would be allowed to travel the planned march route, acknowledging it had received "numerous requests and inquiries."
"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," its foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
Israel Katz, the Israeli defence minister, yesterday referred to the protestors as "jihadists" and called on Egypt to prevent them from reaching the border with Gaza.
He said they "endanger the Egyptian regime and constitute a threat to all moderate Arab regimes in the region."
The march was set to begin just days after a large convoy, which organisers said included thousands of activists, travelled overland across North Africa to Egypt.
Activists and attorneys said airport detentions and deportations began on Wednesday with no explicit reason given by Egyptian authorities to detainees.
Algerian attorney Fatima Rouibi wrote on Facebook that Algerians, including three lawyers, were detained at the airport on Wednesday before being released and ultimately deported back to Algiers on Thursday.
Bilal Nieh, a Tunisian activist who lives in Germany, said he was deported along with seven others from northern Africa who also hold European passports.
Organisers said in a statement that they had received reports that at least 170 participants had been delayed or detained in Cairo.
They said they had followed the protocols laid out by Egyptian authorities, met with them and urged them to let march participants into the country.
"We look forward to providing any additional information the Egyptian authorities require to ensure the march continues peacefully as planned to the Rafah border," they said in a statement.
The Global March to Gaza is the latest civil society effort pressing for the entry of food, fuel, medical supplies and other aid into Gaza.
Israel imposed a total blockade in March in an attempt to pressure Hamas to disarm and to release hostages taken in the 7 October 2023 attack that sparked the current war in Gaza.
It slightly eased restrictions last month, allowing limited aid in, but experts warn the measures fall far short.
Food security experts warn the Gaza Strip will likely fall into famine if Israel doesn't lift its blockade and stop its military campaign.
Nearly half a million Palestinians are facing possible starvation and 1 million others can barely get enough food, according to findings by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a leading international authority.
Israel has rejected the findings, saying the IPC's previous forecasts had proven unfounded.
African champions Al Ahly meet Inter Miami in the opening game.
The match-up between Copa Libertadores winners Botafogo and recent UEFA Champions League victors PSG is a must-see match in the group stage.
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