Egypt Arrests, Deports Hundreds Of Anti-Israel Activists Headed To Gaza

Hundreds of activists attempting to march into Gaza this week in an attention-seeking, anti-Israel stunt were arrested and deported by Egpytian authorities before they made it to Gaza.

Around 200 activists from 80 countries were detained by Egyptian authorities on Thursday, according to one of the activists organizing the march, the Associated Press reported. Most of those arrested and deported were Algerians and Moroccans, while some were from the United States, Australia, Netherlands, France, and Spain. On Friday, dozens more anti-Israel activists were detained or deported as authorities stopped vehicles along the Sinai Peninsula, which leads to Rafah, according to Reuters.

Israel warned on Wednesday that the march posed a threat to regional security and instructed its military to prevent any demonstrators from entering Gaza, The Times of Israel reported. The Israeli government urged Egypt “to prevent the arrival of jihadist protesters at the Egypt-Israel border,” arguing that they “would endanger the safety of [Israeli] soldiers and will not be allowed.”

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A spokesman for the anti-Israel demonstrators said the marchers would wait for more clarity from the Egyptian government before attempting to march into Gaza. Libyan authorities stopped more demonstrators traveling with an aid convoy on Thursday before they reached the Egyptian border. Libya urged demonstrators to “engage in proper coordination with the official Libyan authorities through legal and diplomatic channels to ensure the safety of all participants and uphold the principles of solidarity with the Palestinian people.”

The arrests and deportations of the anti-Israel activists attempting to enter Gaza came days after Israeli forces detained leftist activist Greta Thunberg and 11 of her pals, who were trying to reach Gaza on a “Freedom Flotilla.” Israel showed Thunberg some of the footage from Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, before deporting her and her fellow anti-Israel activists.

After Israel wiped out much of Hamas’ leadership and took control of Gaza, the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began handing out food and aid to people who remain in the Gaza Strip. Earlier this week, Hamas killed eight people working for the GHF in an attack on a bus that was en route to one of the aid distribution centers, The Daily Wire previously reported.

“We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms,” GHF said in a statement to The Daily Wire. “These were aid workers. Humanitarians. Fathers, brothers, sons, and friends, who were risking their lives every day to help others.”