Hundreds of international participants in the “Global March to Gaza” have been dispersed after staging a sit-in between the two gates of Ismailia en route to Rafah to break the siege on Gaza.
After the dispersal, many were forced onto buses bound for the airport for deportation. They were later released and informed they could remain in Cairo or return to their countries, but could not travel back to Ismailia.
Despite the disruption, organizers have reaffirmed their commitment to the march. They told Al Manassa that the Global March to Gaza is ongoing, and that participants are being advised to rest and remain in place until further instructions are provided. Communication with Egyptian authorities is continuing, they noted, and any next steps will be shared directly with participants.
The protesters had gathered after arriving in Cairo in recent days to take part in the Global Gaza March. Those who remained after airport detentions and deportations traveled toward Ismailia to assemble ahead of the march to Rafah.
Security forces halted the participants at two checkpoints along the Cairo-Ismailia highway on Friday morning and confiscated their passports. The protesters then staged a sit-in, prompting security forces to surround them with a tight cordon, leaving no safe exit at the time.
Anasse Mooshkil, one of the participants, told Al Manassa that the group was first stopped near a toll booth close to 10th of Ramadan City around noon. Soldiers took their passports and surrounded them hours later, offering to return the documents only if they agreed to return to Cairo.
When the group refused, the number of troops increased, and they mingled with the crowd. Around 7 pm, security forces launched a violent crackdown, dragging people away by force.
“Even after we agreed to board the buses, they beat us without reason,” Mooshkil said. “When I got on, a soldier slapped me on the back of my neck.”
As the demonstrators chanted for Palestinian freedom, authorities cut the power to the area. A fire truck arrived on site, but no ambulances were seen, despite reports of injuries among the group.
The activists, who hail from diverse national backgrounds, appeared to lack a central leadership to communicate their demands or negotiate with Egyptian officials.
The group eventually split—some taking shelter inside a nearby Circle K branch, while others stayed outside. Plainclothes security forces locked the café door with people inside, preventing others from entering. They allowed individuals to exit one by one, then shut down the branch completely.
The protesters sat on the pavement, chanting and singing. Uniformed officers tightened the surrounding cordon over time, resulting in minor scuffles.
At one point, masked men in Bedouin clothing were seen entering through the security line. They escorted several protesters to an undisclosed location. No communication occurred between the demonstrators and police.
On Friday evening, the German Embassy in Cairo issued a statement urging its citizens participating in the march to remain calm, cooperate with Egyptian authorities, and refrain from any resistance actions.
Organizers of the march posted on Instagram that “hundreds of peaceful international participants remain in limbo as negotiations continue with Egyptian authorities.”
They also denounced the use of “unprovoked force” against the group, citing arrests, harassment, physical assault, and forced deportations.
According to the organizers, the group includes individuals from more than 80 countries who expect safe return to Cairo and the restoration of their passports. They warned that if any participant is deported under false pretenses, they will launch a nonviolent protest.
“In the event of that outcome,” they added, “the leadership of the march will initiate a hunger strike. Others are also prepared to join in solidarity, refusing food as a form of peaceful resistance.”
“This is a moral response to the deception or suppression of their right to peacefully assemble and demonstrate for Gaza,” the post added.
Detentions and deportations
In the days leading up to the sit-in, participants arriving in Cairo faced heavy restrictions. Dozens were detained, interrogated, or deported at the airport, while others reported police raids on hotels.
Yasin, a member of the Dutch delegation, told Al Manassa that his group was held upon arrival despite not carrying anything in relation to the march.
“They didn’t give us any reason,” he said. “We were waiting for hours, our passports, and phones taken by the authorities. We didn’t know what was happening.” Yasin added that they witnessed Algerian delegates being deported, allegedly for carrying Palestinian flags or keffiyehs. “We had nothing like that, so we had a little hope.”
Instead, he said, they were taken aside at passport control and told to wait in an empty office. “There was nobody there. We waited five or six hours—no food, no drinks. Then young soldiers arrived with batons and began intimidating us.”
When the group refused deportation, they were forcibly taken to the plane. “They assaulted me and dragged me to the plane,” Yasin said.
Yasin, one of the deported members of the Dutch delegation for the Global March to Gaza, shows his bicep bearing a faint mark of assault. June 2025.He added that the delegation attempted to contact the Dutch embassy in Cairo, but received no assistance from them.
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.
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.
