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Days of Palestine
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Pro-Palestinian protesters targeted in Egypt ahead of planned Gaza border march
DaysofPal – Ahead of a planned Global March to Gaza, Egyptian authorities have arrested and deported dozens of international pro-Palestinian activists to put pressure on Israel to lift its blockade of the besieged Palestinian enclave. 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. Shortlink for this post:
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Egypt detains pro-Palestinian activists ahead of Gaza solidarity march
Egyptian authorities have detained more than 200 pro-Palestinian activists who arrived in Cairo by plane as part of a solidarity march to Gaza to push for increased humanitarian aid access to the enclave. A convoy that left Tunisia for Gaza is currently blocked in Libya. "Over 200 participants were detained at Cairo airport or questioned at hotels across Cairo," the march's spokesperson, Saif Abukeshek, told France's AFP news agency on Thursday. The detainees included people from Algeria, Australia, France, Morocco, the Netherlands, Spain and the United States, he said. Plainclothes officers entered Cairo hotels on Wednesday with lists of names, questioning activists, and in some cases, confiscating phones and searching personal belongings, Abukeshek said. "After interrogations, some were arrested and others were released." More than 20 French activists who had planned to join [Friday's] march were held at Cairo airport for 18 hours, he said. "What happened was completely unexpected," Abukeshek said. Egyptian authorities said the measures were the result of failure to follow proper procedures, including obtaining prior consent from embassies and securing visas. Cairo maintains that the march towards Rafah constitutes a threat to both its own security and that of the participants. After 21 months of war, Israel is facing mounting international pressure to allow more aid into Gaza, which the United Nations has dubbed "the hungriest place on Earth". Read more on RFI EnglishRead also:French left demonstrates in support of Gaza-bound aid boatIsrael sends military to block Gaza-bound aid boat carrying activistsFrance threatens tougher stance on Israel as US proposes new Gaza ceasefire plan
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Egypt detains over 200 activists ahead of Gaza aid march
Egyptian authorities have detained more than 200 pro-Palestinian activists in Cairo ahead of an international march aiming to break Israel's blockade on Gaza, organisers said Thursday. Thousands of people taking part in the Global March to Gaza planned to travel to Egypt's Rafah border crossing with the Palestinian territory on Friday to call for increased humanitarian aid access. "Over 200 participants were detained at Cairo airport or questioned at hotels across Cairo," the march's spokesperson, Saif Abukeshek, told AFP. The detainees included people from Algeria, Australia, France, Morocco, the Netherlands, Spain and the United States, he said. Plainclothes officers entered Cairo hotels on Wednesday with lists of names, questioning activists, and in some cases, confiscating phones and searching personal belongings, said Abukeshek. "After interrogations, some were arrested and others were released." At Cairo airport, some detainees were held for hours without explanation, Abukeshek said, adding others were deported, without specifying how many. More than 20 French activists who had planned to join the march were held at Cairo airport for 18 hours, he said. "What happened was completely unexpected," Abukeshek said. Footage shared with AFP showed dozens of people with their luggage crammed inside a holding room at the airport. "We're locked up here in this room with so many people -- some 30-40 people," a German national said in one video. "I called the embassy and they told me their people are trying to figure things out," she said. Another video obtained by AFP shows more than 30 people aboard a deportation flight from Cairo chanting in French: "The world is with you... Gaza... Gaza".
Observer
a day ago
- Politics
- Observer
Egypt detains activists ahead of Gaza aid march, say organisers
CAIRO: Egyptian authorities have detained more than 200 pro-Palestinian activists in Cairo ahead of an international march aiming to break Israel's blockade on Gaza, organisers said Thursday. Thousands of people taking part in the Global March to Gaza planned to travel to Egypt's Rafah border crossing with the Palestinian territory on Friday to call for increased humanitarian aid access. "Over 200 participants were detained at Cairo airport or questioned at hotels across Cairo," the march's spokesperson, Saif Abukeshek, said. The detainees included people from Algeria, Australia, France, Morocco, the Netherlands, Spain and the United States, he said. Plainclothes officers entered Cairo hotels on Wednesday with lists of names, questioning activists, and in some cases, confiscating phones and searching personal belongings, said Abukeshek. "After interrogations, some were arrested and others were released." At Cairo airport, some detainees were held for hours without explanation, Abukeshek said, adding others were deported, without specifying how many. More than 20 French activists who had planned to join the march were held at Cairo airport for 18 hours, he said. "What happened was completely unexpected," Abukeshek said. Footage shared with AFP showed dozens of people with their luggage crammed inside a holding room at the airport. "We're locked up here in this room with so many people -- some 30-40 people," a German national said in one video. "I called the embassy and they told me their people are trying to figure things out," she said. Another video obtained by AFP shows more than 30 people aboard a deportation flight from Cairo chanting in French: "The world is with you... Gaza... Gaza". One French traveller, who was briefly detained and released early on Thursday, said he had been held in a room at Cairo airport with around 15 others. Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said he saw between 50 and 60 people being stopped, including elderly people and families. The Greek contingent said in a statement that dozens of Greek nationals were among those held at Cairo airport, but were later released after 10 hours in custody. The Global March to Gaza said several people were being released after diplomatic staff arrived at Cairo airport to provide "consular assistance to the detained participants". The Global March to Gaza, which is coordinating with Soumoud, said around 4,000 participants from more than 40 countries would take part in the event, with many having already arrived ahead of the Friday march. According to the plan, participants are set to travel by bus to the city of El Arish before walking 50 kilometres (30 miles) towards the border with Gaza. They would then camp there before returning to Cairo on June 19. - AFP
Morocco World
a day ago
- Politics
- Morocco World
Moroccan Activists Denounce Detention in Egypt Ahead of Global March to Gaza
Rabat – A group of Moroccan activists heading to Egypt to join an international march in support of Palestinians in Gaza were detained and questioned by Egyptian authorities in Cairo. The activists are part of the Global March to Gaza, an international mass effort aiming to break the blockade on Gaza and push for humanitarian access. Among those targeted were several Moroccans who had all the required documents, including valid visas and confirmed travel plans. Still, they were held for hours at Cairo airport, and at least 12 Moroccans were deported without explanation, says one Moroccan activist in a video shared on social media. He described the ordeal as degrading and unjust. 'We arrived with everything in order … visas, tickets, guarantees,' he said. 'Still, we were detained for over three hours. Some of us were eventually allowed in, but 12 people from our flight were deported.' According to the activist, the conditions were psychologically draining, with some people crammed into holding areas with no clear information on what was happening. One elderly woman with diabetes had insulin in her bag, but when she informed the authorities, 'they completely ignored her,' he added. The experience left many shaken. 'The treatment was humiliating,' the activist said, describing the handling of peaceful marchers as more befitting of a 'thuggish regime' than a nation that claims to respect international visitors. 'The activists who came to join the march wouldn't have come to Egypt in the first place if Egypt had fulfilled its duty and truly worked to lift the blockade on Gaza. It failed to do so, and even blocked others who tried to apply pressure to lift it,' he concluded. The Egyptian authorities have not issued any official comment. But according to march spokesperson Saif Abukeshek, over 200 people, including nationals from Morocco, Algeria, France, Spain, the United States, and Australia, among other, were either detained, questioned, or deported. He told AFP that plainclothes officers entered hotels with lists of names, conducted interrogations, and confiscated personal belongings. Some were released, others were sent back. Abukeshek said 20 French citizens were held for 18 hours at the airport, and shared videos showed dozens of people stuck in a holding room with their luggage. The Global March to Gaza is a coordinated international action where thousands of people from more than 40 countries planned to travel to the Rafah border crossing on Friday. The aim is to deliver humanitarian aid and raise global pressure to end the blockade on Gaza. Many of the marchers were supposed to travel to El-Arish in Sinai by bus, then walk 50 kilometers to the border before returning to Cairo on June 19. A second convoy, called 'Soumoud,' meaning 'steadfastness' in Arabic, left Tunisia earlier this week, trying to reach Gaza through Libya and Egypt. However, organizers said they are still waiting for Egypt to grant passage permits. The march comes as Israel intensifies its genocidal war on Gaza amid a blockade that left the already devastated population with food, water, and medication. The blockade has led to dozens of deaths among children and elderly people in recent weeks due to famine. On top of that, Israel has been targeting civilians and deliberately killing civilians who go to aid sites to collect much-needed food and medical supplies. Israeli officials have urged Egypt to stop what they called 'jihadist protesters' from reaching the border, saying that they 'would endanger the safety of (Israeli) soldiers and will not be allowed.' Despite these setbacks, organizers say the movement will remain peaceful and focused on humanitarian goals.
