Egypt intensifies restrictions on Global March to Gaza participants
Egyptian authorities continued to tighten restrictions on participants in the Global March to Gaza on Thursday, detaining dozens at multiple checkpoints along the Cairo-Ismailia highway.
According to a statement issued by the International Coordinating Committee for the March, groups of international delegates were stopped at the first and second checkpoints, prompting sit-in protests at both locations.
“30 km from Ismailia, the police are stopping all vehicles and making anyone with a non-Egyptian passport get off. Several groups of participants are being held at the first and second checkpoints on the road connecting Cairo to Ismailia. A sit-in has begun at both checkpoints.” the committee said.
The organizers said dozens of passports were confiscated at a checkpoint outside Cairo, with some participants held in extreme heat and others confined to hotels. “40 participants of the Global March to Gaza have had their passports taken... 15 are being held at hotels,” the committee said, adding that those affected include nationals from France, Spain, Canada, Turkey, and the UK. They urged Egyptian authorities to cooperate with the movement instead of obstructing it. “We are a peaceful movement, and we are complying with Egyptian law.”
“We urge the embassies of the detained delegate countries to immediately assist with securing their release so they are able to continue marching with us to end the siege on Gaza,” the statement added.
Footage posted to Instagram showed security forces stopping vehicles and checking the passports of travelers en route to Ismailia.
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Among those detained was Canadian doctor Yibing Ji. “We’re at a checkpoint on the road from Cairo to Ismailia. We’ve been stopped and detained. There are around 1,000 of us here," he told Al Manassa.
"There’s no food, no water, no access to restrooms. People are fainting. Our passports have been taken. We’re being told if we want them back, we have to board a deportation bus. We are here in peace. We’re here to stand with Gaza. We are here in solidarity. We ask the Egyptian government to please let us through.”
The march, which has drawn participants from over 50 countries, had been scheduled to begin its overland route to Rafah on Friday, culminating in a peaceful presence at the Gaza border.
In a morning message, participants were advised to travel in small groups by taxi and arrive in Ismailia between 1:30 and 4:00 pm.
“There is a camp there that we are going to meet where all the delegations will join together and see our collective strength for Palestine,” organizers said. Participants were advised not to travel in large groups, as “demonstrating without a permit is prohibited under Egyptian law,” according to Telegram statements.
Meanwhile, arrivals at Cairo International Airport continue to face obstruction. A French delegation was reportedly detained for hours before some members were released and others deported.
On Wednesday, the committee reported that about 170 individuals were facing delays and deportations at the airport. “A legal team is following their cases,” it said.
Greek news outlet Dnews reported that 41 Greek activists were informed by Egyptian authorities that they would be deported “for security reasons,” although they were later released.
Seif Abu Kishk, spokesperson for the Global March, told AFP that plainclothes police entered hotels with lists of names. “They interrogated some, detained others, and left some alone,” he said, adding that “entering hotel rooms, confiscating phones and searching belongings was completely unexpected.”
Israel has called on Egypt to block the arrival of pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the Gaza border. “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,” said Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.
Egypt has kept the Rafah crossing closed since May 2024, following Israel's incursion into Rafah city and the raising of the Israeli flag over the Palestinian side of the crossing. Cairo has refused to coordinate with the Israeli army and continues to demand a full withdrawal.
Sumud blocked
In a parallel development, the Sumud Convoy, which left Tunisia on Monday en route to Rafah, remained stalled near Sirte, Libya, after authorities in eastern Libya denied it passage for lack of proper visas. Libyan officials cited security regulations and expired or missing travel documents. In a video message, convoy spokesperson Wael Naouar insisted, “Every step toward Gaza is firm and will not be reversed. We want our stand to be at the Rafah crossing facing the Zionist entity, not in Libya or Egypt.”
Naouar shared a letter sent to the Egyptian embassy in Tunis on May 19 requesting passage for the convoy through Egyptian territory. “We are organizing a Tunisian popular convoy called 'Sumud Convoy' headed to Rafah, in solidarity with our brothers in Gaza and in rejection of displacement efforts,” the letter read.
Libyan authorities stated that they were prepared to receive the convoy had its participants carried valid visas, adding that some lacked documents altogether.
“We were surprised by the aggressive tone used by some of the convoy organizers upon their arrival near Sirte,” the eastern Libyan Interior Ministry said, citing cases of expired or missing passports. “We do not know how the Dbeibeh government allowed their entry in violation of Libyan immigration laws.”
Regarding passage into Egypt, the ministry said that neither Egyptian nor Libyan nationals are allowed to cross without due procedures and that Algerian and Tunisian participants are not exempt.
Despite this, convoy officials affirmed in a new statement that they are in ongoing contact with Libyan authorities to coordinate safe passage and reiterated their willingness to meet all requirements without compromising the convoy’s humanitarian goal.
Local Libyans have reportedly provided food, water, and tents to the convoy during the delay.
Naouar earlier posted a copy of the May 19 letter to the Egyptian embassy in Tunis, writing: “For those questioning whether we followed proper legal procedures: this was our first official request to the Egyptian embassy, submitted before we met the ambassador days later.”
Since early March, Israel has barred humanitarian aid from entering Gaza and launched a renewed offensive on the enclave after the expiration of a ceasefire agreement.