The Global March to Gaza is urging embassies to intervene amid activist detentions and deportations by Egyptian authorities.
The Global March to Gaza announced that two members of its International Coordination Committee, French national Hicham El Ghaoui and Spanish national Manuel Tapial, were arrested in Cairo by Egyptian authorities over the weekend and are being deported.
Tapial was deported in the early hours of Monday morning, while El Ghaoui is currently being processed for deportation.
The Coordinating Committee also expressed concern over the continued detention of several participants.
“We are working with embassies and will provide information about other detainees and deportations soon. We call on all relevant embassies to intervene on behalf of other march participants who have been detained or deported despite actually acting fully within the bounds of Egyptian law and entering the country legally and peacefully,” a statement read.
Lead coordinator of the Global March Saif Abukeshek said: “Even as we monitor these developments, our foremost concern remains with the people of Gaza, who continue to face unimaginable suffering. Our global movement to end the genocide of the Palestinian people will not be deterred. More actions and initiatives are already underway.”
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Last week, delegations from around 80 countries gathered in Cairo, Egypt, to undertake a peaceful march from Al Arish to the Rafah border crossing, a journey of approximately 48 kilometers.
Driven to take extraordinary action, ordinary citizens alongside long-standing activists, NGOs, and human rights organisations among others, were set to embark on a multi-day march through the Sinai Desert to the Rafah border crossing, calling for the immediate entry of aid and humanitarian assistance into Gaza.
While protests and solidarity actions have taken consistent, assertive, and creative forms since October 2023, the Global March to Gaza stood out as a historic and unprecedented undertaking demanding governments and the international community end the genocide in Gaza, and allow for the swift and unconditional entry of aid into Gaza.
One of the primary objectives was to call for an end to the blockade imposed by Israel since October 7, 2023, and to deliver desperately needed aid to Palestinians in Gaza, who are facing catastrophic starvation as a result.
Activists had hoped to negotiate entry to Rafah, where sit-in demonstrations were planned.
As activists made their way to Cairo, Egyptian authorities detained and deported a number of individuals ahead of the march scheduled for June 15.
There were also reports of surveillance at hotels and hostels. In Downtown Cairo, a South African delegate had her phone searched by an official at her hotel.
Additionally, there have been reports of abductions, assaults, harassment, and intense and widespread surveillance by Egyptian authorities in the lead-up to the march.
At the Ismailia Toll Station, authorities confiscated passports, including that of chief Mandla Mandela, a prominent Palestine activist and grandson of former president Nelson Mandela.
The confiscation of passports, in a bid to delay and prevent activists from reaching Al Arish, sparked a spontaneous, peaceful protest in solidarity with Palestine, calling for an end to the siege and genocide in Gaza.
Over 1,500 people stood in the scorching sun, chanting liberation slogans and vowing to remain at the site as they negotiated entry to Al Arish, and until all passports had been returned.
After some time, reinforcements arrived in the form of Egyptian Central Security officers, who began closing in on the activists.
As evening fell, the police and security presence increased, and officials informed the crowd that they had 15 minutes to leave, implying that force would be used if they did not comply.
While some had chosen to go back to Cairo, many delegations remained.
Video footage circulating online shows ordinary citizens beating activists, with reports suggesting they were acting under police instruction.
Prior to the march, delegations had requested permission from the Egyptian government to proceed with the peaceful demonstration, but no permit was issued.
More than 4,000 participants gathered in Egypt to take part in the march.
South African Delegation Coordinator Basheerah Soomar said the demands of the Global Committee include the immediate and permanent opening of the Rafah border crossing as a safe passage for all humanitarian aid; the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza; an end to the siege and genocide in Gaza; and the reconstruction of Gaza under international supervision.
“There are already thousands of trucks outside the border. Our goal is merely to put pressure on Israel to open the border up,” Soomar said.
Image: Shakirah Thebus/Salaamedia
