Cairo (dpa) — Egypt on Thursday barred dozens of pro-Gaza activists from entering the country and sent them back to Germany, sources at Cairo airport said.
The activists are part of a global protest campaign that plans to go to Egypt’s Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian enclave.
The sources at the Cairo airport added that the activists, who are European nationals, were found out to “have violated procedures regulating their movement in Egypt.”
On Wednesday, Egypt required the activists to obtain prior entry permits.
The German airline Lufthansa on Thursday confirmed to dpa that several passengers on a flight to Cairo were denied entry into Egypt.
According to international aviation regulations, airlines are required to return passengers to their point of departure if they are denied entry.
The procedure resulted in a delay of less than two hours for the return flight, Lufthansa said.
For its part, the German Foreign Ministry said it is aware of several cases of Germans who were taken into custody by Egyptian authorities in connection with the “Global March to Gaza” campaign.
The ministry added that the German embassy in Cairo is in contact with authorities and the individuals and providing assistance.
More than 150 activists of different nationalities have so far been sent back after arrival in Cairo aboard flights from different countries, an Egyptian security source said.
“Security authorities are still monitoring arrivals to Egypt amid tight security measures at all airports and points of entry,” added the source on condition of anonymity.
©2025 dpa GmbH. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
