Activists detained and deported as symbolic Global March to Gaza stalls in Egypt

Egyptian authorities said event organisers need to obtain permission to travel on to the enclave

People intent on joining the Global March to Gaza in Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Wednesday, bound for Cairo. EPA

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

More than 148 activists who arrived in Egypt to take part in the Global March to Gaza on Wednesday and Thursday were detained, questioned and deported after the country's authorities said they did not have permission to cross Egyptian territory en route to the enclave, security officials told The National.

However, organisers of the global march said they still planned to converge on Egypt's capital on Thursday, undeterred by warnings as activists from various countries continued to arrive.

The movement, known as Masirat Al Ahrar, or the March of the Free, has brought together activists from 54 countries taking part in a symbolic trip demanding an end to Israel’s blockade on Gaza. They were planning to meet in Cairo and travel to Egypt's Rafah border crossing with the Palestinian territory by Monday.

But officials in Cairo said on Wednesday night that such marches across Egyptian territory would require approval and adherence to strict protocol. The Foreign Ministry said while Egypt supports Palestinian activism, foreign visitors planning to travel to sensitive areas, such as the Rafah border, must first have proper permission.

The ministry also highlighted the need to comply with Egypt’s national security regulations, mentioning the precarious situation in the Sinai Peninsula, which has been plagued by an extremist insurgency.

Authorities said organisers had not gone through the proper channels to obtain permits, either through direct communication with Egyptian embassies in their homelands or their countries' embassies in Egypt. It said no request made outside the state framework would be approved.

Participants include delegations from Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, including a separate convoy of about 1,500 people travelling from Algeria, Tunisia and Libya known as Qafelat Al Somood, or the Convoy of Steadfastness.

Those taking part include activists, journalists and humanitarians. They had planned to gather in Cairo before making their way to the Sinai city of Al Arish by bus and march the 50km from there to the Rafah crossing.

US diplomat Hala Rharrit condemns Israel over plight of Gaza’s Palestinians

01:41

But Egyptian authorities have already detained and deported dozens of foreign travellers suspected of planning to join, according to a notice posted by the organisers on social media.

Security officials told The National that 79 of the 148 detained on Thursday were apprehended at Cairo International Airport, the rest were arrested at hotels in central Cairo.

They described chaotic scenes at the airport, with activists and policemen engaged in shouting matches in which the activists insulted the Egyptian government for not allowing the march to take place. Some of those detained were questioned by police before their deportation, the officials said.

On Wednesday, at least 15 Moroccans were deported after being interrogated for up to 30 minutes at the airport, the organisers said. Reports also surfaced of hotel raids in central Cairo, with several activists arrested.

One organiser told news agency AFP that more than 200 foreign citizens had been detained at the airport since Wednesday.

They said a legal team representing the march was working on the release of would-be participants that are still in custody in Egypt.

Another told The National on Thursday that the situation in Egypt's capital had “intensified” and they would not be speaking to media on the record until the situation calmed down.

However, many participants remained determined. Activists were boarding planes bound for Egypt on Wednesday and Thursday, including from Poland and the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, the Qafelat Al Somood is making its way overland towards Egypt. The convoy, which includes 20 buses and 350 cars, began its journey in Algeria earlier this month, travelling through Tunisia and into western Libya.

It was warmly welcomed in areas controlled by western Libya’s Government of National Unity, led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. Mr Dbeibah announced his official support for the initiative, describing it as a reflection of Arab solidarity.

“The participation of Libyans in this humanitarian convoy embodies the values of loyalty and solidarity that distinguish the Libyan people,” he said.

The convoy is expected to continue through Tripoli and Misurata before attempting to cross into eastern Libya, which is controlled by Gen Khalifa Haftar. Gen Haftar’s government, closely aligned with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, has not yet granted clearance.

The ultimate goal is to reach the Rafah border crossing by Sunday, joining the broader Global March to Gaza.

Israel is under immense international pressure over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where more than 55,100 Palestinian civilians have been killed since the war began in October 2023.

Israel’s blockade on Gaza, described by human rights groups as a form of collective punishment, has compounded the widespread suffering, leaving millions of Gazans without access to basic necessities.

While Egypt has long positioned itself as a mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, its handling of the Global March to Gaza has drawn criticism from activists and humanitarians, both inside Egypt and internationally.

The government’s insistence on strict protocol and its deportation of participants are being framed by critics as complicity in Israel’s war.

The Global March to Gaza is part of a wider wave of international solidarity campaigns. The Madleen, a humanitarian aid ship organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was this month intercepted by the Israeli navy in international waters. The vessel was carrying a small amount of food and medical supplies for Gaza.