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.
Egyptian authorities have deported dozens of foreign nationals who arrived in Egypt to take part in a pro-Palestinian march and dozens more face deportation, the organisers and airport and security sources said on Thursday.
The high-seas drama fizzled into an economy-class return as eight pro-Palestinian activists, including French MEP and professional provocateur Rima Hassan, were deported from Israel this week after their failed bid to break the Gaza naval blockade — and, perhaps, make TikToks of themselves doing it.
A recent report commissioned by France’s Ministry of the Interior has pulled back the curtain on an alarming shift in the country’s diplomatic thinking: the idea that recognizing a Palestinian state could serve—not as a peace initiative—but as a tool to “appease” its own Muslim population.
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