Following their participation in a pro-Palestine demonstration outside the Cairo Journalists Syndicate, ten activists were taken into custody on Thursday morning, a human rights lawyer said.
During their protest, they demanded the Israeli ambassador’s expulsion from Egypt and accused the Egyptian government of being involved in the attack on Gaza, AP reports.
The ten detainees were brought before the Supreme State Security Prosecution, where they were interrogated over allegations of forming a terrorist group and disseminating false information.
The prosecution ordered a 15-day detention in order to allow for further investigation.
Nearly 200 protesters demonstrated in front of the Journalist Syndicate headquarters in Cairo on Wednesday, yelling, “Egypt is supporting the siege!” and “The Israeli Embassy is not welcome!”
Egypt has repeatedly condemned Israel’s war on Gaza, and has previously warned of ‘catastrophic consequences’ if Israel attacks Rafah. Egypt also called on Israel to stop its collective punishment policies against the Gaza Strip’s population in a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
These policies include starvation, indiscriminate targeting of civilians, infrastructure destruction, and siege, all of which are in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and international law.
In mid-March, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi stated that Egypt is aiming to reach a ceasefire in Gaza within a few days, which would facilitate the delivery of aid and enable the return of displaced persons living in the southern part of the enclave to the north.
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