Cairo authorities detain, deport dozens of foreign nationals entering Egypt for Global March to Gaza

Authorities at Cairo Airport have detained and deported tens of people who had flown to Egypt to participate in the Global March to Gaza, a popular, international initiative to travel en masse to Egypt’s border with the Gaza Strip to break Israel’s siege on Palestinians there.

Algerian lawyer Fatiha Rouibi told Mada Masr that Egyptian security forces detained 40 Algerian nationals on Wednesday morning to prevent them from entering Egypt upon their arrival at the airport to participate in the march. The lawyer confirmed on Thursday morning that all of the Algerian nationals had been released and allowed to leave Egypt following 24 hours detention.

Over ten members of a delegation arriving from Morocco, meanwhile, were turned back at the airport, according to a Moroccan activist who requested anonymity. 

Another participant confirmed that Egyptian security forces detained and deported several Turkish citizens from outside their Cairo hotel, where they were spotted carrying Palestinian flags.

At a press conference held earlier on Wednesday, march organizers said that some participants had arrived safely to Cairo over recent days, adding that the Egyptian government has not officially responded to their request for permission to proceed with the march.

The initiative aimed to bring around 4,000 participants from over 80 countries to walk from the North Sinai city of Arish to the Rafah border crossing. Organizers say the march is intended to call for an end to the war on Gaza, push for thousands of aid trucks stranded outside the strip to be allowed to enter and pressure their governments to cut ties with Israel and impose sanctions.

Though the march has been coordinated over recent weeks, Egyptian authorities remained tight-lipped on their stance on the plans until Wednesday night, when the Foreign Ministry released a statement nominally “welcoming” the “foreign delegations” but warning that anyone visiting North Sinai should first obtain permissions to do so. 

Organizers of the Global March to Gaza and of the Sumud Convoy, a separate but parallel initiative in which around 1,000 people are travelling by land across North Africa toward Egypt, have repeatedly stated that they sought approval from authorities in Egypt for the popular movements to take place. 

But according to a government source who spoke to Mada Masr on condition of anonymity, Cairo sought to communicate with authorities in departure countries to prevent the marchers from reaching Egypt. The source said that none of the participants would be allowed to cross into Rafah for reasons of sovereignty and security.

Prior to the Foreign Ministry’s statement on Wednesday night, a number of government-aligned media figures and parliamentarians in Egypt voiced opposition over recent days to the popular initiatives to break Israel’s siege. Some accused the movements of seeking to embarrass Egypt or cast doubt on its stance on Gaza, or posing a threat to Egyptian sovereignty. 

Mohamed Abdel Aziz, deputy chair of the House of Representatives’ Human Rights Committee, wrote that any unrest at Rafah could facilitate aims Israel has pushed for since 2023 for the forced displacement of Palestinians to Egypt, which he said Egypt firmly rejects.

The Israeli scheme to forcibly relocate Palestinians outside the strip has been enthusiastically backed by President Donald Trump, with Egypt’s president and foreign minister repeatedly staking out their rejection of the plan in public appearances since then.

Organizers of the march reaffirmed their respect for Egypt’s sovereignty and its efforts to negotiate a ceasefire during the presser they held on Wednesday. They acknowledged the government’s security concerns about mass gatherings, stressing that the march is not directed against Egypt but rather aligned with Cairo’s own stated position on Gaza. They also noted that they will avoid the participation of any Egyptian delegations in the march. 

Mass demonstrations in Egypt are strictly regulated, with hundreds of Egyptians arrested since 2023 for taking part in marches that were held in Cairo and Alexandria and for other forms of protest action or even organizing.

The march organizers said that they are willing to coordinate with Egyptian authorities and made clear that no events will be held in Cairo, with buses due to leave Cairo for Arish on Thursday before walking the 48-kilometer march from the capital of North Sinai to Rafah. 

From June 15 to 19, marchers planned to camp at the border, with no intention to force entry into the strip, before returning to Cairo — if the necessary authorizations were granted by Egyptian authorities.

Organizers speaking on Wednesday added that no alternative plans are in place should Egypt deny them access to Sinai or the Rafah crossing, noting that they would refrain from any action in violation of Egyptian law but would ask the government to publicly explain its decision.

The Egyptian government has repeatedly said that the Rafah border crossing remains open on its side, blaming Israel, which occupied and took over the Palestinian side of the border in 2024, for blocking the entry of aid into Gaza. 

Access to North Sinai, however, is governed by security arrangements, and even under normal conditions is restricted to residents of the governorate. After Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023, Egypt has only allowed a limited number of popular convoys — organized by state institutions and allied political parties — to reach the Rafah crossing on select occasions.

Israel subjected Palestinians in Gaza to a complete siege of over 80 days beginning in March, driving starvation conditions that medics say have already contributed to the deaths of hundreds of people, many of them children.

Supplies the United Nations has tried to deliver since then, after Israel began to permit limited quantities of aid to enter the strip last month, have barely reached the population, the World Food Program said on Monday, pointing to organized looting and assaults targeting drivers and supplies.

Israel, meanwhile, has established a rival aid system it says seeks to prevent Hamas “stealing” aid. Over 130 Palestinian aid seekers have been killed at the aid sites by its military, which is stationed in areas adjacent to the new distribution points managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an upstart company with ties to American and Israeli intelligence. 

Other activist efforts to break the siege, including the voyage of the Madleen, a fishing boat bearing 12 international volunteers, have been intercepted and diverted by Israeli authorities. 

The Sumud Convoy

A third initiative, the Sumud Convoy, is also en route to Egypt’s western border with Libya, seeking to travel via road to the border with Gaza.

Wael Nowar, a spokesperson for the convoy, told Mada Masr on Wednesday that they had not yet received a response from Egyptian authorities regarding their request to enter the country through the Libyan border to travel to Rafah. “We hope Egypt will allow us in,” he said.

The convoy crossed the Tunisian-Libyan border on Tuesday via the Ras Ajdir crossing, after departing from the Tunisian capital on June 9. Composed of participants from Tunisia, Algeria and Mauritania — with more expected to join — the convoy entered Libya in dozens of cars and buses, carrying over 1.500 people who are expected to reach Egypt’s Salloum land crossing on Thursday.