CAIRO: Egyptian authorities have detained more than 200 pro-Palestinian activists in Cairo ahead of a planned international march with the stated aim of breaking Israel’s blockade on Gaza, the organisers said Thursday.
“Over 200 participants were detained at Cairo airport or questioned at hotels across Cairo,“ the march’s spokesperson Saif Abukeshek told AFP, adding that those detained included nationals from the United States, Australia, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Morocco and Algeria.
The activists had planned to travel to Egypt’s Rafah border crossing with Gaza, to demand the entry of humanitarian aid and an end to Israel’s blockade on the besieged enclave.
Abukeshek said that plainclothes police entered hotels in Cairo on Wednesday with lists of names, questioned activists and in some cases confiscated mobile phones and searched personal belongings.
“After interrogations, some were arrested and others were released,“ he added.
At a press conference on Wednesday, organisers said that around 4,000 participants from more than 40 countries “had booked flight tickets” to Cairo, with many already arriving ahead of Friday’s planned march.
According to the plan, participants are set to travel by bus to the city of El-Arish in the heavily securitised Sinai Peninsula before walking 50 kilometres (30 miles) towards the border with Gaza.
They would then camp there before returning to Cairo on June 19.
Israel has called on Egyptian authorities “to prevent the arrival of jihadist protesters at the Egypt-Israel border”.
Such actions “would endanger the safety of (Israeli) soldiers and will not be allowed”, Defence Minister Israel Katz said.
In response, Egypt’s foreign ministry said that while it backs efforts to put “pressure on Israel” to lift its blockade on Gaza, any foreign delegations visiting the border area must receive approval through official channels.
