Egyptian officials have stopped a group of international activists from marching to the Gaza border, effectively preventing an effort intended to protest the ongoing blockade and restrictions on humanitarian aid to the besieged Palestine’s Gaza Strip.
The activists had planned to walk 48 kilometers across the Sinai Peninsula to the Rafah Border on Sunday, aiming to draw global attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and put pressure on Israel to halt its blockade. Organizers described the march as a bid to “create international moral and media pressure” to allow the entry of aid.
However, according to an Egyptian official, more than 30 participants—most of them European nationals—were deported from Cairo International Airport over the past two days for attempting to travel to Northern Sinai without proper authorization.
Egypt, while publicly critical of the restrictions on aid and calling for an end to the war in Gaza, has blocked access to the border area for unauthorized individuals. Officials maintain that the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing remains operational, but access to Gaza itself has been effectively sealed since Israeli forces took control of the Palestinian side of the crossing.
The aborted march comes amid growing international concern over the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where aid deliveries have been severely limited for months.