Egyptian authorities have blocked a convoy organized by the Global March to Gaza, detaining several dozen pro-Palestinian activists outside Cairo for hours, according to the group’s organizers. Some were released, but others remain in custody.
Egyptian authorities have blocked a convoy organized by the Global March to Gaza, detaining several dozen pro-Palestinian activists outside Cairo for hours, according to the group’s organizers. Some were released, but others remain in custody.
The activists left Cairo by car on Friday, aiming to reach Gaza through the Sinai Peninsula. They were stopped near Ismailia, where passports were confiscated, and some were reportedly mistreated before being forced onto buses, according to videos shared online.
“We were held for six to seven hours before the group was violently dispersed,” said organizer Seif Abu Kishk, who also denied claims circulating on social media that the activists were trying to incite unrest in Cairo.
Egypt has not issued any official statement on the detentions or expulsions, despite dozens of activists being turned back in recent days.
The march aimed to reach Rafah via al-Arich, with participants including foreign lawmakers and the grandson of Nelson Mandela. Organizers insist their mission remains peaceful and focused on reaching Gaza.
Meanwhile in Libya, a separate convoy of North African activists, dubbed "Soumoud," has been blocked near Sirte by forces loyal to eastern commander Khalifa Haftar.
Authorities in eastern and western Libya have intensified a crackdown on migrants and refugees in the last month with mass arrests, detentions and expulsions, Amnesty International said on Tuesday, accusing the EU of complicity in abuse.
Last month, Ali Rizkallah, a commander in the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, was welcomed to Sudan’s capital Khartoum and given a uniform and a rank in the armed forces he had spent about three years fighting.
The foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan are due to meet in Cairo on Sunday to discuss the fragile US-Iran peace framework, as Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed 47 people and wounded nearly 100, dealing a severe blow to the ceasefire the agreement was supposed to deliver.
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