Gaza War | Pro-Palestinian activists detained in Egypt

Since Israel's attack on Iran, the war in the Gaza Strip has largely disappeared from the headlines. Despite the Israeli army killing Palestinians every day, the humanitarian situation remains extremely critical. At least 20 people have been killed since Monday morning, the Arab news channel Al-Jazeera reported, citing health sector sources, including 15 near distribution centers in Rafah run by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) .

At the opening of the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk again sharply criticized Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip . "Israel's means and methods of warfare are inflicting horrific, unimaginable suffering on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip," Türk said. He accused members of the government of "disturbing, dehumanizing rhetoric" and condemned Israel's blocking of the import of humanitarian aid through the United Nations since March.

To draw attention to the blockade of the Gaza Strip , several protest marches in North Africa headed toward the Gaza Strip last week. One protest march started early last week from Tunisia, while the other, the so-called Global March, was supposed to start from Cairo. However, the Libyan and Egyptian authorities stopped the pro-Palestinian protest marches . According to the organizers, arrests and deportations took place in both countries. In Libya, a convoy said to consist of around 1,000 people from Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and Mauritania is under a military "blockade" outside the city of Sirte.

According to the organizers, the participants of the protest march were stopped on Friday and divided into three groups. They are now forbidden to "enter or leave the camp," the organizers explained, accusing the military of trying to starve the participants. At least three participants, said to be influencers from Tunisia and Algeria, were taken into custody. Sirte is under the control of Libyan General Khalifa Haftar, whose troops control large areas in eastern and southern Libya.

Also in Egypt on Friday, the Global March to Gaza, which organizers said included participants from 80 countries, was halted. "We were held up for six to seven hours before our group was violently dispersed by security forces," one of the organizers explained. Some demonstrators are still in custody. German activist Melanie Schweizer of the Mera25 party also reported violence from Egyptian police in turning back the marchers.

On Friday, several protest groups left the Egyptian capital Cairo for the city of Ismailia near the Suez Canal. From there, they were to continue through the Sinai to the city of Al-Arish, located about 350 kilometers east of Cairo. The demonstrators ultimately planned to walk the final 50 kilometers to the Egyptian border with the Gaza Strip. Instead, they were transported back to Cairo by bus. As seen in videos shared online, some demonstrators had their passports confiscated, and others were beaten.

Hundreds of activists had already been detained in Ismailia and their passports confiscated, according to security sources. Left Party MEP Carola Rackete posted a video on Instagram on Friday, claiming she herself had been turned away at one of the checkpoints. Security forces forcibly forced her and the other activists onto buses and sent them back to Cairo. There was massive police violence, Rackete said in a second video posted from Cairo.

The activists, however, are not deterred from their plan . Their "goal remains Gaza," said a statement from the organizers of the protest march. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry had previously stated that Egypt supports attempts to "put pressure on Israel." However, foreign delegations must apply for permission before traveling to the border area with the Gaza Strip.