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Middle East Eye
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
'If Egypt is free, Gaza will be free,' says activist who locked Cairo embassy
An Egyptian activist who chained shut the gates of Egypt's embassy in The Hague has told Middle East Eye that he did so in protest against Cairo's 'complicity' in Israel's genocide in Gaza. Last week, Anas Habib filmed himself attaching a bicycle lock around the gates of the embassy in the Netherlands, as a symbolic gesture in solidarity with Palestinians besieged by Israel and Egypt in Gaza. He went on to do the same act at the Jordanian embassy in response to the kingdom's response to Israel's war. The action went viral on Arabic social media, prompting similar demonstrations in other countries, including Turkey and the UK, where activists also chained shut the gates of Egyptian embassies. 'I know for 100 percent sure that the Egyptian regime is complicit in the genocide,' Habib told MEE's live show on Tuesday. 'This is just not an accusation; it's a fact.' New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters He said that in the first two months of Israel's war, in late 2023, before Israeli forces had occupied the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, Cairo had the ability to allow aid and food into the enclave but refused to do so. 'After it got occupied by the [Israeli military], now they are saying: 'No, it's closed',' said Habib. He added that the late former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi's role in ending a previous Israeli war on Gaza in 2012 showed what the country was capable of achieving. 'It's something that we can do. Egypt is capable of stopping this genocide, stopping this war very easily, but he does not want that to happen,' Habib added, referring to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. At the age of 15, Habib was detained by Egyptian authorities for two years as a political prisoner. He said that if he were to return there now, he would be arrested or killed. Around 60,000 political prisoners are currently being held in Egyptian jails. As further evidence of Egyptian complicity, Habib questioned why Egyptians were being arrested for showing solidarity with Palestinians. 'Why do you arrest the people trying to send money to Gaza?' he asked. 'Why, if anyone tries to hold [the] Palestinian flag in Egypt, will [they] be vanished?' 'If you really love Palestine so much, why are you doing this to your people?' 'Hurts me so much as an Egyptian' The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), the largest humanitarian provider in Gaza, has had 6,000 trucks loaded with food and medical supplies waiting in Egypt and Jordan for four and a half months. Israel has yet to allow them entry. Hundreds of international activists attempting to march to the Gaza Strip through Egypt have been violently attacked, detained and deported since the beginning of the conflict. They were among 4,000 activists from 80 countries who sought to break Israel's total siege. Habib said he holds Jordan and Egypt accountable for Israeli crimes in Gaza. 'If it was not for Sisi, if it was not for the king of Jordan… this genocide wouldn't last for two years,' he said. 'I'm Egyptian. It hurts me so much to see that my country is doing this to Palestine.' He said that freedom within Egypt from autocratic rule would ensure that 'Gaza will never face this type of genocide'. 'If it was not for Sisi, if it was not for the king of Jordan… this genocide wouldn't last for two years' - Anas Habib, activist 'If Egyptian people are free, Gaza also will be free,' Habib said. 'That's why [Israel and the US] want someone like Sisi in power.' Nearly 150 Palestinian children and adults in Gaza have died from starvation since Israel's onslaught on Gaza began in October 2023. The blockade on the Palestinian enclave has fluctuated in intensity. However, since 2 March, Israel has prevented all food and aid from reaching starving Palestinians. Last week, more than 100 international human rights and humanitarian organisations called for an end to the siege, citing widespread starvation affecting their staff. Unrwa communications director Juliette Touma also told MEE last week that several of the organisation's staff fainted on duty due to malnutrition. More than 58,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel's war on Gaza, which several countries, as well as many international rights groups and experts, now classify as genocide.
Middle East Eye
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Gaza starvation: Protests erupt at Egyptian embassies worldwide
Activists accusing Egypt of refusing to let aid into the Gaza Strip amid a mounting starvation crisis in the Israeli-blockaded territory have launched protests at Egyptian embassies around the world. From Sweden, Ireland, the UK, Spain and Finland to South Africa, Libya and Turkey, a string of protests has erupted worldwide demanding Cairo 'break the siege' by opening the Rafah crossing to allow aid into the besieged Palestinian enclave. The movement began on 21 July, when 27-year-old Egyptian activist and content creator Anas Habib chained shut the entrance to the Egyptian embassy in the Netherlands in a solo protest. Live-streaming the event, he said that if Egypt keeps the Rafah crossing closed, then its embassies will remain closed "until Gaza opens'. "For two years, they've participated in their [Palestinians'] killing and starvation... lying to the poor people who live there, telling them: 'No, the crossing is closed from the [Israeli] side, not from ours," he said in his video. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Two days later, new protesters locked the same embassy again. Soon after, activists around the world followed suit, using metal chains and locks at the entrances of Egyptian embassies. The Rafah crossing is the only entry point to Gaza that does not border Israel and has served as a vital lifeline for humanitarian aid. At least 154 Palestinians, including 89 children, have died from malnutrition, according to Palestinian health officials. On Tuesday, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the world's leading hunger monitoring body, warned that the 'worst-case scenario of famine' is unfolding in Gaza due to the Israeli-imposed starvation. 'Latest data indicates that famine thresholds have been reached for food consumption in most of the Gaza Strip and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City,' the UN-backed experts warned. Global protests In London, protesters gathered outside the Egyptian embassy on 26 July, banging pots and pans to symbolise the mass starvation in Gaza. They called on the government to "break the siege" and allow the flow of humanitarian aid. 'Send in the aid. Stop starving the Gazans,' said one protester. Others at the demonstration locked the embassy with a wooden stick and marked the walls with red handprints. In Pretoria, South Africa, protesters spray-painted '[Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-]Sisi is a traitor' on the outer wall of the embassy on 29 July. 'Sisi sold Gaza,' they chanted. Social media users weighed in to extend their support to the demonstrators. 'It's amazing to see people come together for a cause and put pressure on people to make things happen,' one user said regarding the London protesters. Another user wrote: 'Sisi's role in keeping Rafah closed makes him complicit in Gaza's suffering. When borders are weaponized and people starve, it's not just a siege on Gaza, it's a betrayal of regional solidarity and human decency.' The anger is real and justified. Sisi's role in keeping Rafah closed makes him complicit in Gaza's suffering. When borders are weaponized and people starve, it's not just a siege on Gaza, it's a betrayal of regional solidarity and human decency. — Elder Speech (@elderspeech) July 29, 2025 Last week, Egypt condemned 'unjustified accusations' that it is contributing to the siege of the Gaza Strip, calling it a 'malicious propaganda campaign'. In a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cairo said that "Rafah has remained open from the Egyptian side. Israeli forces control the Palestinian side and block access". In June, Egyptian authorities detained nearly 200 activists who arrived in the country to participate in the Global March to Gaza, an international action intended to break Israel's siege of Gaza and pressure the international community to force Israel to end its assault on the strip.
Middle East Eye
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Activists lock gates of Egyptian embassy in The Hague in protest over Gaza
Activists in the Netherlands have chained shut the gates of the Egyptian embassy in protest at the country's closure of its border with Gaza. Egyptian activist Anas Habib filmed himself going to the embassy building in The Hague on Monday, denouncing the "vile, treacherous regime" of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Attaching a bicycle lock to the gates of the embassy, he claimed it was symbolic of the Egyptian's government's claims that the Rafah crossing with Gaza had been closed by the Israelis and that they were unable to open it. "The siege is from their side, not mine," he says of the bicycle lock. "I'll stay standing here until the police arrive, because I won't open it until Gaza is opened." New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters On Wednesday, a number of Dutch activists repeated the act. Police cut the locks both times and briefly detained the protesters before releasing them without charge. Israel's siege on Gaza since 2 March has blocked the entry of humanitarian supplies by the UN and its partner organisations to the enclave, bringing the 2.1 million population to the brink of famine. Children will die quickly amid 'genocidal starvation' in Gaza, warns top famine expert Read More » At least 101 Palestinians, including 80 children, have died of starvation since March, including 15 who died of malnutrition on Monday, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The UN's agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), the largest humanitarian provider in Gaza, has had 6,000 trucks loaded with food and medical supplies waiting in Egypt and Jordan for four and a half months, but Israel has yet to let them in. Hundreds of international activists attempting to march to the Gaza Strip through Egypt have been violently attacked, detained and deported since the beginning of the conflict. They were among 4,000 activists from 80 countries who sought to break Israel's total siege.
Arab News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Egyptian activist locks nation's embassy gates in The Hague to protest Gaza siege
AMSTERDAM: An Egyptian activist on Tuesday locked the outer gates of his country's embassy in The Hague to protest Cairo's alleged closure of the Rafah crossing which has prevented aid from entering Gaza for besieged Palestinians. Livestreaming his actions, content creator and social media personality Anas Habib locked two sets of gates at the embassy with what appears to be bike locks. Habib said his actions were symbolic and he wanted to draw attention to the ongoing siege of Gaza that was resulting in the starvation of Palestinians. A post shared by Anas Habib - أنس حبيب (@ 'It's been two years of us hearing this same excuse, it's closed from their side and not ours, they couldn't handle a lie and a siege for one second, imagine how everyone in Gaza is feeling hearing your lies every day for the past two years,' he said. 'I'll stay standing here until the police arrive, because I won't open it until Gaza is opened. Let them break the lock themselves,' Habib said. There has been no response yet from the Egyptian government to Habib's actions and the video which has gone viral on social media. Egypt has reportedly in the past pointed out that the Rafah crossing has been closed on the Gaza side by the Israeli military.
