Latest news with #GazaBlockade
Arab News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Gaza marchers retreat to western Libya after being blocked
TUNIS: Pro-Palestinian activists on a march aiming to break Israel's Gaza blockade have retreated to the Misrata region of western Libya after being blocked by the authorities in the country's east, organizers said on Sunday. The 'Soumoud' convoy — meaning steadfastness in Arabic — decided to fall back near Misrata, about 200 km east of Tripoli, after being stopped by the eastern authorities. Misrata is administered by the UN-recognized Government of National Unity based in Tripoli, while military commander Khalifa Haftar controls the east. The convoy of more than 1,000 people from Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, and Tunisia had been under a 'military blockade' since Friday at the entrance to Sirte, a Haftar-controlled area. Organizers said they were subjected to a 'systematic siege,' with no access to food, water, or medicine, and communications severely disrupted. They also denounced the arrest of several convoy members, including at least three bloggers who had been documenting its journey since its departure from Tunisia on June 9. In a statement cited by Tunisia's La Presse newspaper, the Joint Action Coordination Committee for Palestine — the group behind the convoy — demanded the immediate release of 13 participants still held by eastern Libyan authorities. In an accompanying video, it reaffirmed its intention to continue the mission to Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt, with the aim of 'breaking the blockade and ending the genocide of the Palestinian people resisting in Gaza.' In Egypt, a separate initiative — the Global March to Gaza, intended to bring together participants from 80 countries — was halted on Friday by authorities en route to the city of Ismailia, east of Cairo. Dozens of activists were intercepted, reportedly beaten, had passports confiscated, and were forcibly loaded onto buses by police at multiple checkpoints, according to videos shared on social media and with AFP.
Al Jazeera
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Egypt, Libya stop activists gathering for March to Gaza, organisers say
Authorities in both Egypt and Libya have stopped activists seeking to break Israel's blockade on Gaza, protest organisers have said, with reports of more detentions and deportations taking place. 'Forty participants of the Global March to Gaza have had their passports taken at a checkpoint on the way out of Cairo,' the organisers of the Global March to Gaza said in a statement on Friday. 'They are being held in the heat and not allowed to move,' they continued, adding that another '15 are being held at hotels'. The activists are from France, Spain, Canada, Turkiye and the United Kingdom, it said, adding, 'We are a peaceful movement and we are complying with Egyptian law.' The group urged embassies to help secure their release so they could complete their voyage. Activists arrived in Egypt this week for the Global March to Gaza, a grassroots initiative aiming to pressure Israel to allow the delivery of aid and humanitarian supplies to Gaza's starving population. Organisers said that participants from 80 countries were set to begin their march towards Egypt's Rafah crossing with Gaza, with about 4,000 activists expected to take part. The overland protest was to coincide with other solidarity efforts, including a boat carrying aid and activists that was intercepted by the Israeli military earlier this week as it attempted to reach Gaza. According to plans outlined by organisers, participants were to travel by bus to El Arish, a city in the heavily securitised Sinai Peninsula, before walking the final 50km (30 miles) to Rafah. Protesters intended to camp near the border before returning to Cairo on June 19. However, Egyptian police stopped several groups of foreign nationals en route, forcing vehicles to pull over roughly 30km (20 miles) from Ismailia, just outside the Sinai. Activists said police ordered passengers with non-Egyptian passports to disembark, blocking their passage to Rafah. Paul Murphy, an independent Irish member of parliament, who has travelled to Egypt to take part, said in a post on X, 'We have had our passports confiscated and are being detained. It seems Egyptian authorities have decided to crack down on the Great March To Gaza.' Security sources told the Reuters news agency that at least 88 individuals had been detained or deported from Cairo airport and other locations across the country. Three airport sources told Reuters that at least 73 foreign nationals were deported on a flight to Istanbul for violating entry protocols, with about 100 more still awaiting deportation at the airport. Officials at Cairo International Airport said new directives were issued to airlines requiring all passengers travelling to Egypt between June 12 and 16 to hold confirmed return tickets, Reuters reported. Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that any visits to the Rafah border area must be coordinated in advance with Egyptian embassies or official bodies, citing security concerns in the Sinai. Organisers of the march maintain they coordinated the trip with authorities and called on the government to release those detained. Separately, a land convoy known as 'Soumoud', which had departed Tunisia carrying activists from Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania, was stopped on Friday morning at the entrance to Sirte, a city in Libya under the control of forces loyal to military commander Khalifa Haftar. 'The caravan was barred from passing through at the entrance to the city of Sirte,' Tunisian organiser Wael Naouar said in a video posted on Facebook. Naouar said the convoy needs Egyptian authorisation to reach Gaza but had received mixed messages from local security officials. 'Some told us we could cross in a few hours. Others insisted that 'Egypt has denied [passage] and therefore you will not pass,'' he said. On Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant ordered the military to block demonstrators from entering Gaza from Egypt, claiming people involved were 'jihadist protesters'. 'I expect the Egyptian authorities to prevent them from reaching the Egypt-Israel border and not allow them to carry out provocations and try to enter Gaza,' he added. It comes as Israel continues its relentless air strikes on Gaza, while severely restricting the flow of aid, including food, water, and medical supplies, as humanitarian experts warn that the enclave could fall into full-scale famine unless Israel lifts the blockade.
Al Jazeera
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Israel deports six from Gaza aid boat Madleen, two more still in custody
Palestinian rights group Adalah has confirmed Israel's deportation of six more activists detained on board the Madleen aid ship as they sought to draw international attention to Israel's illegal blockade of Gaza. The rights group, which legally represented the 12 passengers who were seized by Israeli forces in the eastern Mediterranean earlier this week, said on Thursday that the six detainees – two French citizens, including Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan, and nationals of Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands and Turkiye – had departed Israel. Another two French nationals remain in Israeli custody awaiting deportation on Friday, Adalah told the news agency AFP. 'While in custody, volunteers were subjected to mistreatment, punitive measures and aggressive treatment, and two volunteers were held for some period of time in solitary confinement,' said Adalah. Hassan, a French-Palestinian member of the European Parliament, had previously been barred from entering Israel and the Palestinian territory, due to her support for boycotts of the country in light of Israel's occupation of Palestinian land. Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which had dismissed the aid boat as a 'selfie yacht', posted a photo of Hassan on what appeared to be an aeroplane, confirming the deportation of the six passengers. Four of the ship's passengers, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and Al Jazeera Mubasher reporter Omar Faiad, were deported on Tuesday. On Thursday, Hassan's X account featured a post, calling on supporters to assemble in Place de la Republique in Paris, where protests calling for the release of the passengers still in Israeli detention and a lifting of the Gaza blockade had been held earlier in the week. German citizen Yasemin Acar was also among Thursday's deportees. A video circulating online showed her saying that she had arrived in Germany. 'I just arrived in Germany. I am safe. But one thing is very clear: The siege of Gaza is still ongoing. The illegal blockade is still ongoing. People are still starving.' 'The only reason I did this, as a German citizen, is because my country, the very ground that I'm standing on, is not doing what they're supposed to do. They're sending more weapons … We need to stop this. We need to hold our politicians accountable for the genocide, for the starvation, for the killing of children, thousands of men and women. We will not stop.' All 12 people on board the Madleen have been banned from Israel for 100 years. The United Nations has warned that Gaza's entire population faces 'catastrophic hunger' following nearly two years of war and over two months in which Israel has been blocking or heavily restricting the entry of food and other essential supplies. Following an 11-week total blockade from March to May, Israel set up a new aid programme replacing existing networks run by the United Nations and charities, run by the shadowy US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). However, the sporadic distribution of supplies to Palestinians has been marred by repeated shootings, with more than 220 aid seekers killed by Israeli forces in the two weeks since the GHF began operations, according to the health authorities. On Thursday alone, at least 26 aid seekers were killed in Israeli drone attacks. Israeli forces seized the Madleen and detained its crew early on Monday, about 100 nautical miles (185km) off the coast of Gaza, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the group that organised the journey. The vessel, accompanied by Israel's navy, arrived in the Israeli port of Ashdod on Monday evening, according to the Foreign Ministry. It was carrying humanitarian aid, including rice and baby formula, to Gaza, in a bid to raise awareness about the humanitarian crisis.
Arab News
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Gaza-bound activist convoy enters Libya from Tunisia
BEN GUERDANE, Tunisia: Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists taking part in a convoy crossed the Tunisian border on Tuesday into Libya, aiming to keep heading eastwards until they break Israel's blockade on the Palestinian territory, organizers said. This comes after Israel intercepted an aid ship attempting to breach its blockade on Gaza, which was carrying 12 people, including campaigner Greta Thunberg and European parliament member Franco-Palestinian Rima Hassan. The 'Soumoud' convoy, meaning 'steadfastness' in Arabic, set off from Tunis on Monday morning, spokesman Ghassen Henchiri told Tunisian radio station Mosaique FM. He said it includes 14 buses and around 100 other vehicles, carrying hundreds of people. Convoy members were heard chanting 'Resistance, resistance' and 'To Gaza we go by the millions' in a video posted on the organizing group's official Facebook page. Henchiri also told Jawhara FM radio channel the convoy plans to remain in Libya for 'three or four days at most' before crossing into Egypt and continuing on to Rafah. Organizers have said Egyptian authorities have not yet provided passage to enter the country, but Henchiri said the convoy received 'reassuring' information. Organizers said the convoy was not bringing aid into Gaza, but rather aimed at carrying out a 'symbolic act' by breaking the blockade on the territory described by the United Nations as 'the hungriest place on Earth.' Algerian, Mauritanian, Moroccan and Libyan activists were also among the group, which is set to travel along the Libyan coast. After 21 months of war, Israel is facing mounting international pressure to allow more aid into Gaza to alleviate widespread shortages of food and basic supplies. The Madleen aid boat, which set sail for Gaza from Italy on June 1, was halted by Israeli forces on Monday and towed to the port of Ashdod. The 12 people on board were then transferred to Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, the foreign ministry said, adding that Thunberg had been deported. Five French activists were taken into custody after they refused to leave Israel voluntarily.
The Sun
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
‘Just leave her in Gaza' Israeli hostage families slam Greta Thunberg over embarrassing ‘Freedom Flotilla' stunt
GRETA Thunberg's "Freedom Flotilla" ship stunt has been slammed by the tormented families of hostages. Anti-Israel campaigner Greta, 22, has been accused of supporting Hamas after attempting to breach the Gaza blockade. 11 11 11 Israeli naval forces seized the British flagged-yacht Madleen carrying the climate activist on Monday. Greta - who moaned she was "kidnapped" - has been blasted for her latest antic by the families of hostages who have lambasted her for wasting precious time. She has since been pictured on a deportation flight from Israel. One ex-government official rebuked what they branded an "insignificant episode which mostly manifested the stupidity of both sides". Rita Lifshitz, whose in-laws were brutally kidnapped on October 7, echoed suggestions she should have been "left in Gaza". She told The Sun: "In Sweden they said it would have been better to let her into Gaza so she couldn't come back. "People don't believe in what she's doing and saying. "This will just show them more that they shouldn't believe what she is saying." Rita's father-in-law Oded was callously killed in captivity after being snatched by Hamas terrorists from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. He and wife Yocheved were among 250 taken hostage when vile Hamas thugs tore across the border - killing at random and torching homes. Steve Brisley's sister Leanne 48, and his nieces Noiya, 16, and Yahel, 13, were among those cruelly murdered that day. Greta Thunberg's Gaza 'Freedom Flotilla' boarded & seized by Israeli forces The dad, from Bridgend, Wales, took aim at Greta's stunt for wasting time which could have been used to get the remaining hostages home. "This isn't about politics or publicity for me," he said. "It's about families torn apart and 55 hostages still in Gaza. "Their loved ones wait for their return - for an embrace or a burial. "Every moment wasted on anything else adds to the suffering on both sides." 11 11 11 11 Efrat Machikawa, whose elderly uncle Gadi Moses was trapped in Gaza for 15 months, resonated with Steve's call. She said: "The only comment I might have at the moment is to bring the focus on releasing all hostages and ending this terrible war, so we can all heal. "Every day passing is a day too late for all of us in the region." Israeli's furious government has vowed to make Greta and other activists detained watch a harrowing video of the October 7 massacre. Haunting clips shows innocents, including children, being slaughtered by Hamas savages during the attacks. filmed their massacre. Hamas unleashed carnage in the Middle East after massacring more than 1,200 and abducting 251 hostages on October 7, 2023. What happened on October 7? ON OCTOBER 7, 2023, Hamas launched a brutal surprise attack on Israel, marking one of the darkest days in the nation's history. Terrorists stormed across the border from Gaza, killing over 1,200 people — most of them civilians — and kidnapping 250 others, including women, children, and the elderly. The coordinated assault saw heavily armed fighters infiltrate Israeli towns, kibbutzim, and military bases, unleashing indiscriminate violence. Innocent families were slaughtered in their homes, and graphic footage of the atrocities spread across social media, leaving the world in shock. And as well as attacking people in their homes, they stormed the Nova music peace festival - killing at least 364 people there alone. The massacre triggered a swift and massive retaliatory response from Israel, escalating into a full-scale war. The attack not only reignited long-standing tensions in the region but also left deep scars on both sides of the conflict, setting the stage for the 16 months of devastation that followed. Some 56 hostages remain in Gaza - 20 of whom are still believed to be alive. Greta's bid to get into the strip with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) came after a failed attempt in May, when another of its vessels was struck by two drones in international waters off Malta. Footage on Monday showed the Israeli Navy communicating with the Madleen over a loudspeaker, urging it to change course. Israeli forces boarded the ship and the foreign ministry later confirmed it was "safely making its way to the shores of Israel". All passengers were safe, unharmed and handed sandwiches and water before the vessel docked at the southern Israeli port of Ashdod. The boat was carrying a "tiny amount of aid" on board - which will be sent to Gaza. Greta had earlier posted on social media with a Palestine flag and wearing a keffiyeh scarf while on the journey. US President Donald Trump commented: "She's a strange person. "I think she needs to go to an anger management class." Travelling alongside her was Rima Hassan, a French member of the European parliament of Palestinian descent. She was barred from entering Israel due to her outspoken criticism of the country's policies towards Palestinians. Organisers claimed pro-Palestinian FFC claimed the voyage was 'a non-violent, direct action to challenge Israel's illegal siege". Israel imposed a near-total blockade on Gaza in late 2023, following Hamas's horror massacre on southern Israel on October 7. 11 11 11
