Thousands of activists from around the world are expected to descend on Egypt on Thursday for a “Global March to Gaza,” a movement aiming to break the Israeli blockade that has pushed the territory to the brink of famine.
Some 4,000 volunteers from over 80 countries will join the protest, according to organizers. They will land in Cairo, take buses to the city of Arish in northern Sinai, and then march around 30 miles through the desert peninsula to the Egyptian side of the Gaza border at Rafah. Organizers told CNN the activists will sleep in tents along the route and are expected to arrive at the border on Friday but do not plan to enter the war-ravaged enclave.
The march puts Egypt in an awkward position as it tries to balance its ties with Israel and the United States against its public condemnation of the war’s brutal toll on Gaza’s civilians. A key mediator with direct channels to both Hamas and Israel, Cairo has been wary of the conflict spilling over into its territory. It has kept its side of the Rafah crossing closed to Palestinians, even as anger at Israel’s actions continues to rise at home.
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