Egypt arrests 35 Dutch heading to Gaza
The spokesperson for the Dutch delegation at the 'Global March to Gaza' announced that Egyptian authorities arrested about 35 Dutch citizens who intended to participate in a solidarity march with Gaza. She explained that the detainees were returned by bus to the Egyptian capital, Cairo, and that currently there are no Dutch citizens under arrest.
The arrests took place on Friday at two checkpoints on the road between Cairo and Ismailia, where hundreds of participants from various nationalities were detained. According to the spokesperson, the authorities confiscated their passports and they were forced to stay for hours in the scorching sun without water or food, and some were beaten by the police and groups described as 'thugs'.
Later, the detainees were transported in buses, with some taken to Tahrir Square in Cairo, while others were forced to pay an amount of around 50 euros per person to be allowed to continue on their way. There are still about 65 Dutch nationals in Egypt who wish to participate in the march, which was scheduled to take place this weekend from El Arish to the Rafah crossing on the Gaza border, a distance of several dozen kilometers.
The spokesperson confirmed that the march will not take place without the approval of the Egyptian authorities, but she indicated that there are alternative plans she refrained from mentioning details about for security reasons. Saturday was considered a day of rest for the Dutch participants.
Egyptian authorities had previously detained Dutch participants at Cairo Airport and deported them before the event began.