Egypt has stopped activists planning to take part in the march to Gaza on Thursday, reaching the border and halted attempts to challenge Israeli humanitarian blockades before March begins.
Egyptian authorities and activists both said dozens of people planning to cross the Sinai Peninsula had been deported, but organizers said they had no plans to cancel the event.
To draw attention to the humanitarian crisis that tormented the people of Gaza, Marcher plans to trek from the city of Alish on Sunday from around 50 kilometres to the border between Gaza and Gaza in Egypt.
They said they tried to coordinate with Egyptian embassies in the various countries where participants came, but the authorities said they had not received permission to march.
Authorities deported more than 30 activists carrying primarily European passports when they arrived at Cairo International Airport in the past two days, Egyptian officials said Thursday.
Officials said activists are aiming to travel to northern Sinai “without the necessary permissions.”
The standoff puts pressure on the home state of activists who are wary of seeing their citizens in detention.
French diplomats said France was “close contact” of Egyptian citizens, refused to enter Egypt, or was detained to ensure “consular protection.”
Participants risked arresting unauthorized demonstrations in sensitive areas such as the Sinai Peninsula, officials added.
On the condition of anonymity, the official spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not permitted to publicly speak about sensitive diplomatic issues.
Sensitivity and security
Egypt publicly condemned restrictions on aid to Gaza and repeatedly called for an end to the war.
Although the Egyptian side of the Rafa intersection has said it remains open, access to the strip has been blocked since Israel seized the Palestinian side of its border as part of the war with Hamas that began in October 2023.
However, authorities have cracked down on dissidents and activists for many years when they touched on Cairo’s political and economic ties with Israel, a sensitive issue in neighbouring countries that maintain diplomatic relations with Israel despite widespread public friendships with Palestinians.
Egypt previously warned that only approved individuals were allowed to travel the planned March route and that they had accepted “many requests and inquiries.”
“Egypt retains the right to take all necessary measures to maintain national security, including restrictions on the entry and movement of individuals, particularly in sensitive border areas,” its Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz yesterday called the protesters “jihadists” and called Egypt to stop them from reaching the border with Gaza.
He said it “has put the Egyptian regime at risk and constitutes a threat to all moderate Arab regimes in the region.”
The march was scheduled to begin days after a large convoy that organizers said included thousands of activists travelled overland across North Africa to Egypt.
Margins detained in Cairo
Activists and lawyers said airport detention and deportation began Wednesday.
Algerian lawyer Fatima Luibi wrote on Facebook that the Algerian, including three lawyers, was detained at the airport on Wednesday and released, and eventually returned to Algiers on Thursday.
Bilal Nee, a Tunisian activist who lives in Germany, said he was deported along with seven other North Africans who hold European passports.
Organizers said in a statement that at least 170 participants were reported to have 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 the March participants into the country.
“We look forward to providing the additional information necessary to ensure that Egyptian authorities continue peacefully as planned at the Rafa border,” they said in a statement.
The global march to Gaza is the latest civil society initiative to encourage food, fuel, medical supplies and other aid to enter Gaza.
Israel imposed a complete lockdown in March, triggering the current war in Gaza, putting pressure on Hamas to disarm and attempting to release hostages filmed in the October 7, 2023 attack.
Last month, restrictions have been eased slightly and assistance is limited, but experts warn that measures are far short of the line.
Food security experts warn that if Israel does not lift the blockade and halt its military campaign, the Gaza Strip will likely fall into starvation.
Around half a million Palestinians face starvation, while the other million have barely got enough food, according to findings from the major international authorities, Integrated Food Security Stages (IPC).
Israel rejected the findings and said previous predictions of the IPC had proven unfounded.
