Latest news with #SaifAbukeshek
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gaza march activists say participants in Egypt beaten, detained
CAIRO (Reuters) -Organisers of a march to the Egyptian border with Gaza said on Tuesday that three participants were abducted by plainclothes officers in Cairo amid a wave of arbitrary detentions, deportations and abuse by security forces. Egypt's interior and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to the allegations. Reuters could not independently verify the reported detentions or conditions. The Global March to Gaza, launched this month, brought over 4,000 activists from more than 80 countries to Egypt in an attempt to peacefully approach the Rafah border crossing and draw attention to Gaza's deepening humanitarian crisis. Since their arrival, dozens of participants said they have faced airport interrogations, deportations and roadblocks preventing access to the Sinai peninsula, which provides the land route to Gaza. In a statement on Tuesday, organisers said three international participants were forcibly taken from a Cairo cafe on Monday by security officers who did not identify themselves. Those named were Jonas Selhi and Huthayfa Abuserriya, both from Norway, and Saif Abukeshek, a Spanish citizen of Palestinian origin and one of the march's organisers. The statement said that according to Selhi, all three men were blindfolded, beaten and interrogated. Abukeshek, he said, faced especially severe abuse. His whereabouts remain unknown, while Selhi and Abuserriya have since been deported to Norway, organisers said. Two security sources denied to Reuters that any detainees were treated violently as long as they adhered to procedures and security instructions until their deportation. The sources said that approximately 400 people have been deported, while fewer than 30 remain awaiting deportation and are being held. "We urge the Egyptian authorities to immediately release Saif Abukeshek and all other detained march participants," the statement said, adding that the group had suspended its Egypt-based plans and made efforts to coordinate with authorities. Egypt's foreign ministry had previously said travel to the Rafah area required prior approval to ensure safety. Organisers say they sought to coordinate through proper channels.
Mada
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Mada
Global March to Gaza coordinator arrested amid ongoing police crackdown
The Global March to Gaza called on Egyptian authorities to release Saif Abukeshek — one of the initiative's coordinators — along with all other detainees who had traveled to Egypt to participate in the march. In a statement issued Tuesday, the organizers condemned the continued targeting of foreign delegations by Egyptian police. This comes despite their announcement on Monday that all planned activities in Egypt had been suspended and that the coordinators were committed to operating within the bounds of the law. Nonetheless, plainclothes police officers continued to track down and forcibly remove participants 'from hotel rooms, cafes, shops and the streets, without cause or explanation,' according to the Tuesday statement, a copy of which Mada Masr reviewed. On Monday afternoon, three participants were targeted while sitting at a cafe in Cairo: Norwegian nationals Jona Selhi and Huthayfa Abuserriya and Spanish-Palestinian Saif Abukeshek. The three, the statement read, were 'blindfolded, handcuffed, interrogated and brutally beaten,' with no formal charges. Selhi, who was allowed a brief phone call while in police custody, relayed the information. The two Norwegians were later transferred to a detention center at Cairo International Airport, according to the statement. Abukeshek remains in custody, with his whereabouts still unknown. Selhi said Abukeshek was 'singled out' for particularly severe abuse. Egyptian authorities also deported eight Tunisian activists on Tuesday. One of the deportees wrote on Facebook that they were held for six hours at Cairo International Airport, during which they were subjected to insults and violence before being deported under police escort. Their passports, he wrote while on the plane, were confiscated, only to be returned upon arrival in Tunisia. In a statement issued Monday, the Global March to Gaza said that Egyptian authorities detained two members of its international coordination committee — French national Hicham El Ghaoui and Canadian national Manuel Tapial — before deporting them. Later that day, the coordinators instructed all participants to leave Egypt. They explained that the decision came after they met the day before with embassies of the participating delegations and received mixed responses — some were supportive and willing to defend the marchers, while others were not. The Global March to Gaza, launched this month, brought over 4,000 activists from more than 80 countries to Egypt in an attempt to peacefully approach the Rafah border crossing and draw attention to Gaza's deepening humanitarian crisis. However, since their arrival, they have faced intimidation and arrests from Egyptian authorities which ultimately forced the organization to instruct delegations to leave Cairo earlier this week.
Straits Times
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Gaza march activists say participants in Egypt beaten, detained
FILE PHOTO: Murals in support of Palestinians in Gaza are pictured in Cairo amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Cairo, Egypt November 22, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo CAIRO - Organisers of a march to the Egyptian border with Gaza said on Tuesday that three participants were abducted by plainclothes officers in Cairo amid a wave of arbitrary detentions, deportations and abuse by security forces. Egypt's interior and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to the allegations. Reuters could not independently verify the reported detentions or conditions. The Global March to Gaza, launched this month, brought over 4,000 activists from more than 80 countries to Egypt in an attempt to peacefully approach the Rafah border crossing and draw attention to Gaza's deepening humanitarian crisis. Since their arrival, dozens of participants said they have faced airport interrogations, deportations and roadblocks preventing access to the Sinai peninsula, which provides the land route to Gaza. In a statement on Tuesday, organisers said three international participants were forcibly taken from a Cairo cafe on Monday by security officers who did not identify themselves. Those named were Jonas Selhi and Huthayfa Abuserriya, both from Norway, and Saif Abukeshek, a Spanish citizen of Palestinian origin and one of the march's organisers. The statement said that according to Selhi, all three men were blindfolded, beaten and interrogated. Abukeshek, he said, faced especially severe abuse. His whereabouts remain unknown, while Selhi and Abuserriya have since been deported to Norway, organisers said. Two security sources denied to Reuters that any detainees were treated violently as long as they adhered to procedures and security instructions until their deportation. The sources said that approximately 400 people have been deported, while fewer than 30 remain awaiting deportation and are being held. "We urge the Egyptian authorities to immediately release Saif Abukeshek and all other detained march participants," the statement said, adding that the group had suspended its Egypt-based plans and made efforts to coordinate with authorities. Egypt's foreign ministry had previously said travel to the Rafah area required prior approval to ensure safety. Organisers say they sought to coordinate through proper channels. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Reuters
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Gaza march activists say participants in Egypt beaten, detained
CAIRO, June 17 (Reuters) - Organisers of a march to the Egyptian border with Gaza said on Tuesday that three participants were abducted by plainclothes officers in Cairo amid a wave of arbitrary detentions, deportations and abuse by security forces. Egypt's interior and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to the allegations. Reuters could not independently verify the reported detentions or conditions. The Global March to Gaza, launched this month, brought over 4,000 activists from more than 80 countries to Egypt in an attempt to peacefully approach the Rafah border crossing and draw attention to Gaza's deepening humanitarian crisis. Since their arrival, dozens of participants said they have faced airport interrogations, deportations and roadblocks preventing access to the Sinai peninsula, which provides the land route to Gaza. In a statement on Tuesday, organisers said three international participants were forcibly taken from a Cairo cafe on Monday by security officers who did not identify themselves. Those named were Jonas Selhi and Huthayfa Abuserriya, both from Norway, and Saif Abukeshek, a Spanish citizen of Palestinian origin and one of the march's organisers. The statement said that according to Selhi, all three men were blindfolded, beaten and interrogated. Abukeshek, he said, faced especially severe abuse. His whereabouts remain unknown, while Selhi and Abuserriya have since been deported to Norway, organisers said. Two security sources denied to Reuters that any detainees were treated violently as long as they adhered to procedures and security instructions until their deportation. The sources said that approximately 400 people have been deported, while fewer than 30 remain awaiting deportation and are being held. "We urge the Egyptian authorities to immediately release Saif Abukeshek and all other detained march participants," the statement said, adding that the group had suspended its Egypt-based plans and made efforts to coordinate with authorities. Egypt's foreign ministry had previously said travel to the Rafah area required prior approval to ensure safety. Organisers say they sought to coordinate through proper channels.
Days of Palestine
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Pro-Palestinian protesters targeted in Egypt ahead of planned Gaza border march
DaysofPal – Ahead of a planned Global March to Gaza, Egyptian authorities have arrested and deported dozens of international pro-Palestinian activists to put pressure on Israel to lift its blockade of the besieged Palestinian enclave. The march, set for Friday, was expected to see thousands of activists from around the world gather in Egypt and travel to the Rafah border crossing with Gaza. Participants hoped to deliver humanitarian aid and draw global attention to what the United Nations has called 'the hungriest place on Earth.' However, Egyptian authorities have launched a widespread crackdown in recent days. According to airport officials and organizers, dozens of activists were detained at Cairo International Airport and in hotels across the capital. Many were later deported without explanation. An Egyptian official, speaking anonymously to The Associated Press, confirmed that more than three dozen activists, mostly European passport holders, had been deported in recent days. 'They intended to travel to Northern Sinai without obtaining required authorizations,' the official said. The crackdown intensified on Thursday, when Reuters reported that at least 73 foreign nationals were deported on a flight to Istanbul. An additional 100 were reportedly still being held at the airport awaiting deportation. Activists from around the world targeted Saif Abukeshek, spokesperson for the Global March to Gaza, told AFP that over 200 activists were either detained at Cairo airport or interrogated in their hotels. Among them were citizens from the United States, Australia, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Algeria, and Morocco. 'Plainclothes officers came with lists of names, searched their belongings, and in some cases confiscated phones,' Abukeshek said. 'After interrogations, some were arrested and others were released. Some have already been deported.' A group of Greek participants issued a statement saying that dozens of their members had been detained despite holding valid documents and complying with all Egyptian entry procedures. 'We have broken no law and followed every legal procedure in entering the country,' the statement read. Despite the crackdown, organizers say the march will proceed as planned. 'We look forward to providing any additional information the Egyptian authorities require to ensure the march continues peacefully,' the organizers said in a statement. Protesters intend to travel by bus to El Arish in the Sinai Peninsula before marching roughly 50 kilometers to the Rafah border. They aim to meet a convoy of activists traveling overland from Tunisia in support of the campaign. The goal, organizers say, is to 'create international moral and media pressure' to open the Rafah crossing and lift the Israeli-imposed blockade on Gaza. Israel closed all borders with Gaza in March amid its ongoing war on the territory, where more than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to local authorities. Though some aid has been allowed into Gaza in recent weeks, humanitarian agencies report that the quantities are far below what is needed and that distribution is often disrupted by Israeli attacks on aid seekers. The Global March follows another recent effort to break the siege, the Madleen, a humanitarian aid ship carrying prominent figures including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, French MEP Rima Hassan, and Al Jazeera journalist Omar Faiad. The vessel was intercepted and seized by Israeli forces earlier this week in international waters. Egypt's stance and Israeli pressure Egypt has long maintained that its side of the Rafah crossing remains technically open but that access is blocked by Israel's control over the Palestinian side. On Wednesday, Egypt's Foreign Ministry reiterated that only those with proper authorization would be allowed to travel to border areas. 'Egypt holds the right to take all necessary measures to preserve its national security, including the regulation of the entry and movement of individuals within its territory, especially in sensitive border areas,' the ministry said. Israeli officials have urged Egypt to prevent the march. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant described the participants as 'jihadist protesters,' claiming their presence at the border would 'endanger the safety of [Israeli] soldiers and will not be allowed.' Despite mounting obstacles, Abukeshek said activists remain determined. 'We are not deterred,' he told AFP. 'We will continue with our peaceful mission to demand the lifting of the blockade and the opening of Rafah for the people of Gaza.' In solidarity with the Palestinian people, this Arab popular movement is gaining momentum for the first time to end the aggression against the Gaza Strip, which has been under the most brutal siege in over 17 years. Israel has reclosed all crossings into Gaza since last March and completely blocked the entry of fuel, leading to the shutdown of most hospitals, bakeries, and water desalination plants. Even UN aid has not been spared, with convoys being targeted and obstructed. Israel launched its aggression against the Gaza Strip after Operation Tufan al-Aqsa on October 7, 2023, intensifying the blockade and using starvation, thirst, and the denial of medicine as weapons against civilians. Shortlink for this post:
