Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that he expected Egyptian security forces to stop a march by global “jihadist protesters” toward the Gaza Strip’s southernmost border with the Sinai Peninsula.
“I expect the Egyptian authorities to prevent the arrival of the jihadist protesters at the Egypt-Israel border and not to allow them to carry out provocations or attempt to enter Gaza—which would endanger the safety of IDF soldiers and will not be allowed,” Katz’s office stated.
Some 1,000 anti-Israel activists from 50-plus countries are set to march to the Gaza border from El Arish in the Sinai. The march is set to start on Thursday, with the activists expected to reach Gaza some three days later.
“These jihadist protesters also pose a threat to the Egyptian regime and represent a danger to all the moderate Arab governments in the region,” the Israeli defense minister declared. “Their desire to join and assist Hamas stems from shared ideology with the murderous terrorist organization—a hatred of Jews and a desire to impose radical Islamic ideas, backed by the Iranian axis of evil, throughout the region,” he added.
Katz warned that if Cairo failed to stop the protesters, the IDF would take the necessary measures to prevent them from entering Gaza.
The Global March to Gaza initiative has claimed that the activists are “planning a short stay in Rafah, from June 15-19th,” while noting that this would “depend on authorizations from the Egyptian government.”
“We aim to negotiate the opening of the Rafah [border] terminal with the Egyptian authorities, in collaboration with NGOs, diplomats, and humanitarian institutions,” the umbrella of anti-Israel groups stated.
The convoy comes after Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and 11 others were arrested by Israel Defense Forces troops as they sailed to Gaza in an attempt to defy Jerusalem’s maritime blockade earlier this week.
The 12 had attempted to sail to Gaza aboard the U.K.-flagged yacht Madleen, operated by the anti-Israel Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC).
Israel’s Foreign Ministry has emphasized that Israel’s blockade of Gaza is legal under international law, and that the Gaza maritime zone is an active conflict area, which Hamas terrorists have previously exploited for attacks, including the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre in southern Israel.
