Egypt Blocks Gaza March, Activists Deported or Detained

Post by : Bianca Suleiman

Photo: AP

Egypt has stopped a group of international activists who were planning to walk to Gaza to protest against the blockade on humanitarian aid. Their aim was to draw the world’s attention to the serious crisis faced by people living in Gaza. But Egyptian authorities stopped them before the march could even begin.

The group of activists, which included many from Algeria and Morocco, had planned to walk about 50 kilometers from Arish, a city in northern Egypt, to the Gaza border at Rafah on Sunday. The goal of this peaceful march was to push world leaders to act and help open the border so that much-needed food, medicine, and fuel could reach the people in Gaza.

However, Egypt did not give the marchers permission to hold the event. As a result, many of the activists were either deported or detained. According to one of the organizers, Saif Abu Keshek, nearly 200 activists had already been sent back to their home countries.

Some people who arrived at Cairo International Airport on Thursday were allowed to enter Egypt. But the organizers were still unsure if they would be able to move forward with Sunday’s planned march. They were discussing their next steps.

An Egyptian official said that more than 36 people, most of them with European passports, were deported over the last two days. He added that these individuals were planning to enter North Sinai without proper permission. The official spoke without giving his name, as he was not allowed to talk to the media.

Egypt has spoken out many times about the need to send more aid into Gaza. The Egyptian government says that its side of the Rafah border is open. However, the aid is not moving in because Israel has taken control of the Palestinian side of the border, as part of its war with Hamas that began in October 2023.

Although Egypt supports helping Gaza, the country is very careful when it comes to protests—especially those that deal with Egypt’s relationship with Israel. This topic is very sensitive in Egypt and in many other nearby countries where people support Palestinians but the governments maintain official ties with Israel.

Egypt had already warned that only people with permission would be allowed to travel in the border area. In a statement, Egypt’s foreign ministry said the country has the right to control who enters and moves within its land, especially near important and sensitive areas like the Sinai Peninsula.

Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, also made a strong statement. He called the activists “jihadists” and urged Egypt to stop them from getting to the Gaza border. He said their actions were dangerous and could hurt both Egypt and other moderate Arab governments.

The march was planned just a few days after a large group of activists traveled across North Africa to reach Egypt. Some of those who arrived in Cairo were detained without being told why. Lawyers and human rights groups are now working to help them.

Governments in Europe have also gotten involved. A French official said their government is talking with Egyptian leaders to make sure French citizens who were refused entry or detained are safe and get the help they need.

The march, called the Global March to Gaza, is part of a worldwide effort by people who want to pressure Israel to let aid into Gaza. Since March, Israel has completely blocked the Gaza Strip to push Hamas to give up its weapons and release hostages from the October 7 attack.

Last month, Israel allowed a small amount of aid to enter, but experts say it’s not nearly enough. According to international food security experts, nearly 500,000 people in Gaza could soon face famine, and around 1 million others are struggling to find food.

Israel disagrees with these warnings. It says the predictions have been wrong before.

The war in Gaza has already caused terrible losses. According to the Health Ministry in Gaza, more than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed, and over half of them are women and children. The Ministry does not separate the numbers between civilians and fighters.

This story continues to develop, and the future of the planned march—and aid to Gaza—remains uncertain.