Egypt halts Gaza convoy, deports hundreds of activists

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz correctly predicted Egypt would halt the convoy.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Hundreds of activists participating in the Global March to Gaza were detained and deported by Egyptian authorities, As reported by Arab media sources.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said it would not allow the members of the “resilience convoy” to continue on their intended route from Cairo to Rafah without permits.

Soumoud Convoy spokesperson Seif Abu Kishk said two hundred activists from Morocco, Switzerland, Denmark, Algeria, France, Tunisia and other countries were arrested at the Cairo airport or their hotels.

“The Egyptian officials decided to deport us because they knew we arrived to participate in a demonstration, even though we claimed we were traveling for tourism,” Jishi told AlKompis.

He continued, “We were beaten, verbally abused, and deported by the Egyptian authorities after we organized a sit-in at the airport and chanted slogans in solidarity with Palestine.”

Jishi added, “Now we are at Sabiha Airport in Istanbul, where the authorities are trying to secure our return tickets to Sweden, even though we have return tickets reserved for June 22.”

Moroccan police at Casablanca’s Mohammed V Airport strongly criticized the decision to report the activists after receiving complaints about the incident from Moroccan activists, according to Quds News Network.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the convoy was a threat to security and told the Israel Defense Forces to be ready to prevent it from reaching Gaza.

However, Katz correctly predicted that Egypt would stop the convoy.
“I expect the Egyptian authorities to prevent the arrival of jihadist demonstrators at the Egyptian-Israeli border,” Katz said in a statement on Wednesday night.

Katz urged Cairo to intervene before the activists reach Rafah, warning that their presence could destabilize Egypt and other moderate Arab governments.

“If Egypt does not stop them,” he added, “Israel will act to ensure the convoy does not reach Gaza.”