Hundreds of pro-Palestine activists from across the world faced interrogations, hotel raids, and deportations this week, as Egyptian authorities clamped down on a planned march to Gaza.
Despite mounting obstacles, organizers insist they are pressing ahead to break the siege on the coastal enclave.
The coordinating committee for the Global March to Gaza said that around 170 participants are facing delays and deportation orders at Cairo Airport.
In a statement, the committee confirmed that a legal team is following up on their cases, while noting that thousands of other marchers have already arrived in Egypt in preparation for tomorrow’s journey to Arish.
Activists from around the world had announced their intention to march to the Egyptian border with Gaza at the Rafah crossing to demand the entry of humanitarian aid and an end to the siege, under the name “Global March to Gaza.”
In March, Israel suspended humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza “until further notice” after the first phase of a ceasefire ended. Later that month, it launched a renewed assault on the territory.
Meanwhile, the Sumud Convoy set off from Tunis on Monday, traveling overland through Libya toward Rafah. The group expects to reach the Libyan-Egyptian border by Friday night or early Saturday morning.
Egypt locks the gate
In a statement released Wednesday, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign affairs stated that anyone seeking to visit Rafah or Arish must follow procedures that require prior security approval via embassies.
Organizers, however, claim they followed protocol, coordinating for months with Egyptian embassies across Europe and North America.
With participants in the march arriving over the past two days, plainclothes officers entered Cairo hotels on Wednesday with lists of names, questioning activists, and in some cases, confiscating phones and searching personal belongings, according to Seif Abukeshek, a spokesperson for the march.
He told AFP that officers even entered rooms, searched belongings, and seized phones—a move that caught many participants off guard.
According to Global Gaza March spokesperson Hicham El-Ghaoui, participants from more than a dozen countries have faced detention, interrogation, or deportation at Cairo Airport.
Among those affected are delegates from France, Algeria, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Morocco, Germany, Belgium, Greece, the United States, Poland, Portugal, Costa Rica, the Netherlands, Finland, and the United Kingdom. Some were held for over 24 hours, while others were unreachable after police visits to their hotels, El-Ghaoui told Al Manassa.
While a number of delegates were ultimately released or allowed to proceed, dozens have already been deported—including participants from Algeria, Norway, Morocco, Germany, and other European countries.
Despite the restrictions, organizers confirmed that thousands of activists have successfully entered Egypt ahead of Friday’s planned march toward Rafah. Legal teams are continuing to track and support those still facing delays.
Meanwhile, a Greek delegation of 41 was detained at Cairo airport and informed by Egyptian authorities that they would be deported for “security reasons,” according to Greek news website Dnews. The activists were told to cover their own return costs and had not been given flight details, yet they were released late in the afternoon and confirmed that they will continue their journey to Rafah
Dutch participants also condemned what they described as humiliating treatment, saying they were denied food, water, and medical care while held on airport floors.
“These Dutch nationals are not enemies of Egypt,” the Dutch group wrote in a statement. “They are citizens of conscience who believe in justice, dignity, and solidarity. Their peaceful mission was silenced through repression rather than dialogue.”
Unknown fate
Meanwhile, a separate land convoy known as the Sumud Convoy, composed of 1,500 North African activists, is expected to reach the Libyan-Egyptian border this Friday.
Its spokesperson, Wael Naouar, told Al Manassa the convoy received a warm welcome in Libya but has yet to secure passage into Egypt despite earlier requests made to the Egyptian embassy in Tunis.
The convoy departed from Tunis on Monday and has since passed through Libya with support from local communities and security forces, according to Naouar.
Naouar said 14 buses and dozens of private cars make up the convoy, with more vehicles joining along the way. Organizers submitted a formal request to the Egyptian Embassy in Tunis on May 19, asking for help facilitating their entry to Egypt and access to Rafah.
While the convoy has not received an official response, Naouar confirmed that coordination with the Egyptian embassy did take place. He emphasized that the convoy is separate from—but aligned with—the Freedom Flotilla and the Global March to Gaza, sharing a common humanitarian goal.
Meanwhile, Algerian lawyer Fatiha Rouibi told Al Manassa that 40 Algerian participants were detained at Cairo Airport on Wednesday and deported the next morning. She said they were held in a small room and denied contact with family or lawyers.
Rouibi added that the activists’ arrival in Cairo followed hours of anxiety, during which they were subjected to violations, including being confined in a room no larger than 25 square meters and denied communication with family or contacts.
Freedom Flotilla met with force
While the land convoys were blocked in Egypt, Israel intercepted the ship Madleen, part of the Freedom Flotilla, in international waters on its way to Gaza. Eight passengers were detained; six, including French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan and Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila, have now been deported.
Israel's Foreign Ministry mocked their departure on X, posting: “Bye-bye—don’t forget to take a selfie.”
Adalah, which provided legal advice to the activists, said two others who were on board remained in Israeli custody as they awaited deportation on Friday.
According to a statement released Wednesday, Hassan was punished with solitary confinement after writing “Free Palestine” on her cell wall, while Ávila, was punished due to his hunger and water strike.
The ship departed from Catania, Italy, on June 1 with a mission to break the blockade. It was named after Madleen Kulab, the first and youngest Palestinian woman fisherman in Gaza.
Israel has a history of intercepting Freedom Flotilla ships. In 2010, Israeli forces attacked the Mavi Marmara, resulting in the deaths of 10 Turkish citizens and the detention of activists.
More recently, in May, Israel used drones to strike another Freedom Flotilla vessel, Concisence, which was sailing near Malta en route to Gaza.
The show must go on
Despite the wave of detentions, raids, and deportations, the marchers’ determination remains firm.
“We don't have plan B” Hicham El-Ghaoui told Al Manassa. “We have only one plan: to reach Rafah”.
“We are fully committed to Egyptian law, but we will not cancel the march,” he added, insisting that “even though the march had not received a green light from the Egyptian authorities, it had not received a red light either.”
Al Manassa attempted to contact Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ambassador Tamim Khallaf for comment on the activists’ concerns, but he did not respond to messages by the time of publication.
On Wednesday, Israel called on Egyptian authorities to prevent pro-Palestinian activists from reaching the border area with Gaza or attempting to enter the besieged Palestinian territory.
“I expect the Egyptian authorities to prevent the arrival of jihadist protesters at the Egypt-Israel border and not to allow them to carry out provocations or attempt to enter Gaza—an act that would endanger the safety of (Israeli) soldiers and will not be allowed,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
Egypt closed the Rafah crossing in May 2024 following an Israeli incursion into the Palestinian side of Rafah, during which the Israeli army seized control of the crossing and raised its flag. Cairo rejected any coordination with Israeli forces at the time, demanding their withdrawal from the crossing.
