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.
At least 73 foreign nationals had been deported on a flight to Istanbul on Thursday © Mena Today
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.
Hundreds of people came to Egypt this week for the Global March to Gaza, an international initiative intended to exert pressure for an end to an Israeli blockade of the Palestinian enclave and draw attention to the humanitarian crisis there.
Organisers said people from 80 countries were set to begin the march to Egypt's Rafah Crossing with Gaza, and confirmed some had been deported or were detained at the airport.
Three airport sources told Reuters at least 73 foreign nationals had been deported on a flight to Istanbul on Thursday after authorities said they violated entry protocols, and that about 100 more were at the airport awaiting deportation.
The Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. It had earlier said visits to the Rafah border region must be coordinated in advance with Egyptian embassies or government entities, and underlined the need to follow official procedures to ensure safety and security.
Reporting by Cairo bureau
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.
Israel has called on Egypt to block planned pro-Palestinian demonstrations near the Gaza Strip, particularly targeting the Soumoud caravan—a convoy of activists from Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and Mauritania—and a “Global March” involving protesters from 44 countries scheduled for June 19.
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