Egypt blocks activists trying to march to Gaza border To highlight humanitarian crisis

Egyptian authorities have halted a planned march by activists seeking to reach the Gaza border, preventing them from challenging Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory.

The marchers had intended to trek approximately 48 kilometres across the Sinai Peninsula to the Rafah border crossing on June 15, aiming to draw global attention to the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Caliber.Az reports, citing Arab media.

Their goal was to generate international moral and media pressure to reopen the crossing and lift the blockade that has restricted aid from entering the enclave.

An Egyptian official, speaking anonymously as he was not authorised to speak to the media, confirmed that more than three dozen activists, mostly holding European passports, were deported upon arrival at Cairo International Airport over the past two days. The official said the activists sought to travel to northern Sinai without the necessary authorisations.

While Egypt has publicly condemned the restrictions on aid entering Gaza and repeatedly called for an end to the conflict, the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing remains officially open. However, access has been blocked since Israel took control of the Palestinian side following the outbreak of war with Hamas in October 2023.

Food security experts warn the Gaza Strip faces a looming famine if Israel does not lift its blockade and halt military operations. According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), nearly half a million Palestinians risk starvation, with another million struggling to access adequate food.

Israel has dismissed the IPC’s warnings, stating that its previous forecasts were inaccurate. Meanwhile, Egypt has long cracked down on dissidents and activists, especially those critical of Cairo’s political and economic ties with Israel—an issue that remains sensitive across neighbouring countries, despite widespread public sympathy for the Palestinians.

Earlier, Egypt announced that only those with proper authorisation would be allowed to undertake the march, responding to “numerous requests and inquiries.”

The Egyptian foreign ministry stressed the country’s right to “take all necessary measures to preserve its national security, including regulating the entry and movement of individuals within its territory, especially in sensitive border areas.”

Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, labelled the protesters as “jihadists” and urged Egypt to stop them from reaching the Gaza border, warning they posed a threat to “the Egyptian regime and all moderate Arab regimes in the region.”

The planned march follows closely on the heels of a large convoy, reportedly comprising thousands of activists, which travelled overland through North Africa to Egypt in recent days.

By Aghakazim Guliyev