Gaza aid activist claims they were 'violently dragged' onto buses and 'beaten' as Egyptian authorities deported them
A Gaza aid activist has said they were 'violently dragged' onto buses and 'beaten' as Egyptian authorities deported them.
Thousands have been arriving from more than 80 countries since Thursday to join the Global March to Gaza protest against Israel 's aid blockade on Gaza.
Israel imposed a full 11-week humanitarian blockade on Gaza on March 2, cutting off food, medical supplies and other aid amid its ongoing conflict with the enclave.
The some 4,000 volunteers landed in Cairo as planned, then taking buses to the city of Arish in the north of the country's Sinai Peninsula.
From there, they hope to start their planned march, on a roughly 30-mile route, to the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing on the Gaza border.
But organisers said today that several dozen activists were stopped on the edge of Cairo as they attempted to reach the Suez Canal city of Ismailia, which is around a three-hour drive from Arish.
One posted a video to social media while on a bus heading there, saying: 'This is an emergency.
'We have just been violently dragged into the buses here at the first checkpoint on the way to Ismailia.
'We were sitting quietly and not doing anything. We were debating that we would leave soon, in taxis back to Cairo because we did not break any law.
'And all of a sudden, several people stormed in and they started to push people and drag them violently outside.
'They have beaten people. I have seen one woman that was beaten in her face in front of me. They didn't leave time to grab the luggage or anything.
'So, this is one of the Secret Service people that was just walking in here. I have to stop this livestream now - we are in danger. This is an emergency. We need to help.'
Most of the activists were ordered onto buses back to the capital after several hours of questioning - but some remain in custody today, organisers said.
'We were blocked for six to seven hours before security forces violently dispersed our group,' one organiser said.
At least one activist was expelled from Egypt, several sources said, adding to dozens more denied entry or expelled in the run-up to the march.
Egyptian authorities have not commented on the reported expulsions.
The foreign ministry had warned that while Egypt backs efforts to put 'pressure on Israel' to lift its Gaza blockade, any foreign delegations intending to visit the border area must obtain prior permission.
Organisers of the protest have previously said activists do not plan to enter the war-torn Palestinian territory - but rather draw attention to Israel's blockade of it.
Uzma Usmani, the sponsorship and logistics lead for the UK delegation of the march, explained to CNN: 'This is just another tool, another way [for] the people to raise their voices, to let governments know that we are not happy.
'We need to take things into our own hands, to raise awareness, to put pressure on all the different governments so that they start taking action.'
But in a statement on Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said allowing the activists through the border would 'endanger the security of IDF soldiers'.
He added he expected Egypt 'to prevent the arrival of jihadist demonstrators to the border of Egypt-Israel and not to allow them to carry out provocations and to try to enter into Gaza'.
Egypt is in an awkward position in the Israel-Palestine conflict, as a key mediator between Hamas and Israel, also trying to prevent conflict spilling into its own territory.
It is also attempting to balance its ties with Israel and the United States with its own public condemnation of the war's brutal civilian impact on Gaza.
The Global March to Gaza action comes just days after Israel intercepted Madleen, an aid ship bound for Gaza carrying activist Greta Thunberg on board.
The 12 activists in the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) left Italy on June 1, aiming to bring awareness of food shortages in Gaza.
The UN has called it the 'hungriest place on Earth', after 21 months of war, warning the territory's entire population is at risk of famine.
But the Israeli government had vowed to prevent the 'unauthorised' Madleen from breaching the naval blockade of Gaza, urging it to turn back.
Israel 'forcibly intercepted' the British-flagged vessel at 3.02am local time on June 9, some 100 miles from the coast of Gaza, the FFC said in a statement.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz argued the blockade - in place for years - was needed to prevent militants importing weapons into Gaza.
He congratulated the military on its 'quick and safe takeover' of the ship after Israeli commandos seized the vessel.
After diverting the boat, Israel's foreign ministry posted a picture of the activists all in orange life jackets being offered water and sandwiches.
The activists said the ship was surrounded and sprayed with a 'white irritant substance' shortly before the IDF descended overnight
Katz said the crew were safe and unharmed, and would be taken to the Israeli Port of Ashdod where they would be shown a video of Hamas's October 7 atrocities.
The crew had spent the night on the Mediterranean Sea, shadowed by speedboats and drones, before being intercepted.
The activists said the ship was surrounded and sprayed with a 'white irritant substance' shortly before the IDF descended overnight.
'Communications are jammed, and disturbing sounds are being played over the radio,' the coalition wrote on Telegram, assessing the Madleen had come 'under assault' in international waters.
Images showed the deck splattered with an unidentified white liquid.
One of the activists onboard, Yasmin Acar, said it had been deployed by Israel and was affecting her eyes.
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