Dozens of Irish people are flying to Egypt with the goal of marching from Cairo to the Rafah crossing with Gaza to protest against western military support for Israel in the conflict and to show solidarity with Palestinians under bombardment.
About 2,500 people from more than 50 countries are expected to take part in the March to Gaza, including about 50 signed up as part of an Irish delegation.
Participants are scheduled to arrive in Egyptian capital Cairo on Thursday.
On Friday they aim to depart by bus to Al-Arish, the largest city in the Sinai Peninsula, and begin the march in the afternoon. They are expected to walk about 25km on Saturday and the same distance on Sunday.
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Dozens of Irish people to join ‘March to Gaza’ from Cairo to Rafah in protest at Israel
In Rafah they plan to camp for several days and return to Cairo on June 19th.
Podcast producer Bairbre Flood (50) said she heard about the action through a friend and will be travelling with her daughter.
“I’ve been involved in other activist campaigns around migrant issues but this is something I’ve never seen before in terms of global co-ordination,” she said.
“I’m bringing the love and support of many Palestinians I’ve met in the diaspora who cannot go themselves.”
She said she expected to be able to take part “safely and peacefully”.
“I’m hoping Egypt knows we have no issue with them and simply want to pass through their country,” she said.
[ Israeli strikes kill at least 41 in Gaza, many at aid site, say health officialsOpens in new window ]
The march begins days after the Israeli interception of the Madleen, a Freedom Flotilla ship that aimed to sail to Gaza to break the siege. Activists on board, including Swedish climate and political activist Greta Thunberg, were detained by Israeli forces. Thunberg has since been deported to Europe.
Since Monday a land convoy of more than 100 vehicles has been travelling across North Africa from Tunisian capital Tunis, aiming to finish in Rafah as part of the march. It is known as the Sumud convoy, meaning “steadfastness”.
More than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli forces since the Hamas-led attacks on October 7th, 2023, Gazan health authorities have said.
Almost 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage in the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023. Some 55 hostages remain in captivity.
Israel began an 11-week blockade on aid in March, leading a UN-backed assessment to warn that Gaza’s 2.1 million population were at “critical risk” of famine because of the resulting shortages of food.
Though some supplies have begun to enter the enclave again, almost 200 people were killed by Israeli forces while trying to reach aid sites in the last fortnight, Gaza’s health ministry has said. .
Last November the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant for crimes against humanity and war crimes including starvation as a method of warfare.
Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.
“We’ve all been watching this absolute hell on earth take place in front of our eyes for nearly two years now,” said Niamh McNamara (40) from Limerick, who is joining the march.
“Every day has been worse than the last, every crime that Israel commits manages to be more depraved than the last, and nobody is stopping it.”
She said she had made other efforts such as “writing to politicians and making phone calls; protesting and going to actions, boycotting, sending money, trying to support Palestinian people where we can”.
However, the situation continued to worsen, she said.
“Ultimately it feels too important to not do this,” she said. “We know Palestinians see these actions, and we know that it gives them hope ... All across the globe, we have the power of collective action, we can stand together and say we have finally had enough.”
Caroline Godard (32), a French PhD researcher living in Ireland since 2021, said she heard about the march through social media.
“I believe it is our responsibility and duty as citizens to take direct action because our governments, especially EU ones, have failed to take any concrete action to stop the crimes committed against the Palestinian people,” she said.
“This failure has consequences for all of us because what Israel are permitted to do in complete impunity, with the complicity of the US and the EU, puts us all at risk. We cannot let this genocide go on.”
