Sources: Dozens of activists denied entry to Egypt for march to Gaza
Egypt on Thursday barred dozens of pro-Gaza activists from entering the country and sent them back to Germany, sources at Cairo airport said.
The activists are part of a global protest campaign that plans to go to Egypt's Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian enclave.
The sources at the Cairo airport added that the activists, who are European nationals, were found out to "have violated procedures regulating their movement in Egypt."
On Wednesday, Egypt required the activists to obtain prior entry permits.
The German airline Lufthansa on Thursday confirmed to dpa that several passengers on a flight to Cairo were denied entry into Egypt.
According to international aviation regulations, airlines are required to return passengers to their point of departure if they are denied entry.
The procedure resulted in a delay of less than two hours for the return flight, Lufthansa said.
For its part, the German Foreign Ministry said it is aware of several cases of Germans who were taken into custody by Egyptian authorities in connection with the "Global March to Gaza" campaign.
The ministry added that the German embassy in Cairo is in contact with authorities and the individuals and providing assistance.
More than 150 activists of different nationalities have so far been sent back after arrival in Cairo aboard flights from different countries, an Egyptian security source said.
"Security authorities are still monitoring arrivals to Egypt amid tight security measures at all airports and points of entry," added the source on condition of anonymity.
The organizers of the Global March to Gaza, meanwhile, said they would go ahead with the plan to reach the border with Gaza although about 170 people were facing delays and deportations at Cairo airport.
"Our legal services are working on these cases, as we have all complied with all the legal requirements of the Egyptian authorities," the organizers added in a statement on the social media platform X.
There was no official comment from Egypt.
The participants plan to travel from Cairo on Friday to the Egyptian city of al-Arish in Sinai, where they are to walk for about 50 kilometres to Rafah.
The activists also plan to protest at the Rafah crossing for several days starting on Sunday.
Protests are heavily restricted in Egypt.
On Thursday, another pro-Gaza convoy of activists were continuing a land journey through Egypt's neighbour Libya, controlled by two rival governments.
Earlier in the week, the convoy of 1,700 activists set off from Tunisia in buses and cars with the declared aim of breaking the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip.
The activists say they want to use the convoy to draw attention to the worsening humanitarian situation in the populous enclave.
Israel had earlier asked Cairo to prevent activists from reaching Egypt's border with Gaza and entering the Palestinian territory.
The Israeli army currently controls the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing.
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