Egypt detains 200 Gaza protesters, including about 30 from Netherlands

Egyptian authorities have detained approximately 200 pro-Palestinian activists from more than 40 countries, including about 30 from the Netherlands, ahead of a planned protest march to the Gaza border. Many Dutch participants reportedly said they were subjected to “unjust and humiliating treatment,” including being held for hours without food, water, medical care, or information.

Approximately 100 Dutch nationals had traveled to Egypt for the march, representing a diverse range of backgrounds, according to the Dutch public broadcaster NOS. Among them were students, teachers, healthcare workers, retirees and artists. Organizers said 18 members of the European Parliament were also expected to join the protest.

One of those detained was the sister of Mark van Rennes, the captain of the protest ship Madleen, who is currently imprisoned in Israel. She was among approximately 30 Dutch activists deported from Egypt to Istanbul, Turkey. She has since confirmed her arrival in Istanbul and is expected to land at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport around 2 p.m., likely accompanied by many of the other deported Dutch citizens, NOS reported.

Another Dutch participant told the Dutch news agency ANP on Thursday morning that he had also been placed on a flight to Istanbul with other activists.

According to the Dutch delegation of the Global March to Gaza, Dutch participants were intercepted upon arrival at Cairo International Airport. Their passports were confiscated, and they were forced to sit on the floor for hours without access to food, water, medical care or information about their legal status.

“We strongly condemn the treatment of the Dutch participants,” the delegation said in a statement, adding that efforts were underway to locate all affected Dutch nationals.

The group emphasized that the marchers were peaceful activists who had traveled to Egypt “to draw attention to the obstruction of life-saving aid to Gaza.” The delegation is calling on the Dutch government to investigate how its citizens were treated by Egyptian authorities.

The broader protest, known as the Global March to Gaza, was organized by international human rights groups, peace movements and civil society organizations. The plan was to begin the march Friday in El Arish, in northeastern Egypt, and walk 48 to 50 kilometers through the Sinai Desert over three days, ending at the Rafah border crossing into Gaza. Organizers said the goal was to spotlight the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, where more than 2 million people face famine and continued bombardments.

“If governments take no action, then citizens must,” a spokesperson for the Dutch delegation said. “We feel a moral obligation to defend human rights. We want the Dutch government to uphold international law and to stop Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza.”

Among the marchers was Milan Teunissen van Manen from Amsterdam, who said he had packed a sleeping mat and sunscreen ahead of the trip. “If the weather forecast is correct, it’ll be around 30 degrees during the day,” he told NOS. “That’s manageable in the desert, but some protection is obviously wise.” He said he was part of the First Aid team, helping participants avoid blisters, sunburn or dehydration. “That’s just basic care — there are ambulances accompanying us too.”

Teunissen van Manen, an ecologist by training, said joining the protest was a personal decision rooted in frustration. “If I didn’t take part, I think I’d feel very hopeless. This is an expression of 20 months of political talks with no progress. We’ve signed petitions, donated money, joined demonstrations with 100,000 people — but Gaza just keeps getting worse,” he said. “The halt of humanitarian aid by Israel was the last straw for me. Doing nothing is not an option.”

The sit-in planned at Rafah, scheduled to begin Sunday, aimed to pressure Egypt to open the border to allow food, clean water and medical supplies into Gaza. Organizers repeatedly emphasized that the protest was meant to remain entirely peaceful and that participants were expected to follow safety protocols at all times.

“We’ve invested a lot of energy in keeping everything peaceful,” Teunissen van Manen told NOS. “It’s a militarily sensitive area, so we have a security team to make sure everyone sticks to the agreements. In a large group of strangers, there’s always a risk that someone acts unpredictably, but I honestly don’t expect any problems.”

The Egyptian government has not issued a public statement regarding the mass detentions or deportations. However, the Global March to Gaza organization confirmed that hundreds of participants were either held at Cairo Airport or questioned in hotels throughout the city.

As for Van Rennes, his family said they initially expected him to return home Thursday. They now believe he will depart from Tel Aviv and arrive at Schiphol early Friday morning at 6:10 a.m.