Rabat (Morocco), June 12 (LaPresse/AP) – Egypt has blocked several activists who intended to join the march to Gaza, preventing them from reaching the border and challenging the Israeli blockade on humanitarian aid imposed on the Strip. An Egyptian official reported that over 30 activists, mostly holding European passports, were expelled upon arrival at Cairo International Airport in the past two days. According to the source, the activists planned to travel to northern Sinai "without obtaining the necessary authorizations." To draw attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the protesters had planned for months to walk 48 kilometers on Sunday through the Sinai Peninsula to the Egyptian border with the Strip, the Global March to Gaza, to "create international moral and media pressure" for the opening of the Rafah crossing and the lifting of the blockade preventing aid from entering the Strip.
The organizers stated in a press release that they received reports that at least 170 march participants were detained or arrested in Cairo. They said they followed the procedures established by the Egyptian authorities, met with them, and urged them to allow the march participants to enter the country: "We are ready to provide the Egyptian authorities with any further information necessary to ensure that the march proceeds peacefully as planned to the Rafah border," they said.
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