Egyptian authorities violently cracked down on protesters attempting to reach the Gaza border as part of the international “March to Gaza” movement, which aims to break the Israeli blockade. At the same time, another group of demonstrators, who started from Tunisia, was blocked by security forces in eastern Libya.

In circulating videos, plainclothes police officers are seen attacking demonstrators with kicks and punches, forcibly removing some of them. The protesters responded by throwing water at the attackers.

According to organizers cited by the British Telegraph, about 4,000 demonstrators from 80 countries had arrived in Egypt for the mobilization, while another 2,000 were traveling by road. They reported that Egyptian authorities confiscated the passports of at least 40 people at a checkpoint outside Cairo, where riot police and armored vehicles were deployed.

Egyptian authorities reportedly paid Cairo residents to attack participants of the #MarchToGaza.

Agents employed to execute "israeli" demands assaulted, robbed & threw garbage at activists.

Many of the peaceful participants have been detained, harassed, physically harmed and… pic.twitter.com/mh8nJ1T6lR

— Global March To Gaza (@globalmarchgaza) June 14, 2025

“They are being held in the heat and are not allowed to move,” they said in a statement, adding that another 15 individuals were being detained in hotels. Among the activists are citizens from France, Spain, Canada, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. The organizers emphasized that “this is a peaceful demonstration, in full compliance with Egyptian law,” and called on embassies to intervene for their release.

Among those arrested are Irish MP Paul Murphy, Turkish MP Faruk Dincer, and former U.S. diplomat Hala Raritt, who had resigned over the U.S. position on the war in Gaza. In a video released by his party, Dincer is shown with bloodstained clothes, while a statement said he was “injured in an attack.” Paul Murphy stated via X: “Our passports have been confiscated and we are being held. It seems that the Egyptian authorities have decided to suppress the #GreatMarchToGaza. We are refusing to board the deportation bus.”

Murphy and others were taken to Cairo airport for deportation, while some activists, such as Raritt, were arrested and interrogated immediately upon arrival in the Egyptian capital. As news of the arrests and deportations spread, many of the international activists who arrived later in Cairo chose to remain there, avoiding continuing the march to the border.

This mobilization follows a series of international protests aiming to highlight the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, after Israel closed the borders and blocked humanitarian missions in March. The ship Madleen, carrying humanitarian aid and carrying Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, docked at an Israeli port earlier this week. She and the other activists were immediately deported by Israeli authorities.

Although Israel now allows limited aid entry, experts and humanitarian organizations warn that these amounts are insufficient to meet the needs of the population, which continues to suffer from intense bombardments.

Egypt finds itself in a difficult position, receiving military aid from the U.S. while being the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979. Like Jordan, it cracks down on pro-Palestinian activists while officially calling for an end to the war.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that he expects Egypt to prevent demonstrations at the Israeli border, so as to avoid “provocations” and attempts to enter Gaza, warning that the presence of demonstrators would endanger Israeli soldiers’ safety.

Belgian human rights lawyer Alexis Deswaef said he woke up to find dozens of security vehicles with uniformed officers in the Cairo area where he was staying with other activists prior to the march. “I am very surprised to see the Egyptians doing Israel’s dirty work,” he remarked.

Dutch nationals scheduled to join the Global March to Gaza were detained and interrogated by Egyptian authorities — then forcibly deported back to the Netherlands.

This move highlights Egypt’s complicity in the ongoing siege and genocide in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/SoIQNMc7qO

— Global March To Gaza (@globalmarchgaza) June 14, 2025