March to Gaza: What Our Volunteers Witnessed
In early June 2025, two Aliento del Viento volunteers—Federico and Alessandro—joined the Italian delegation of the Global March to Gaza. They went with hope, determination, and backpacks full of solidarity. What they encountered was systematic suppression, constant surveillance, and the crushing reality of how state power silences peaceful protest.
This is their testimony.
Before Departure: Choosing to Go Despite Warnings
The day before leaving Italy, warnings were already coming in. Other marchers were being stopped at airports. Organizers advised caution, noting that authorities in multiple countries were blocking participants.
Federico and Alessandro, aware that the march would likely face obstacles, decided to go anyway.
“I couldn’t just sit and watch,” Federico said. “Even if we couldn’t reach Gaza, the act of trying—of showing up—mattered.”
They packed their bags and boarded the flight to Cairo.
Arrival in Cairo: The Surveillance Begins
Upon landing in Cairo, their luggage was immediately searched. Customs officials looked specifically for Palestinian flags and any materials related to the march. Aside from this targeted search, they were allowed through.
But the real control was just beginning.
The morning they were supposed to depart with the Italian delegation toward the checkpoint near Gaza, new orders came through: other marchers attempting to reach the border had been stopped. Some were detained at checkpoints. Others had their documents confiscated before even reaching the border zone.
The Italian delegation sent word to all participants: Wait for further instructions. Do not attempt to go to the checkpoint.
Staying Mobile to Avoid Detention
Rather than remain in their hotel—where police were conducting continuous checks on all guests—Federico and Alessandro decided to stay mobile. They moved through Cairo’s parks and public spaces, sleeping only a few hours in their room each night to minimize the risk of being tracked and detained.
As they moved through the city, the heavy police presence became impossible to ignore. Two police trucks stationed every 50 meters in the city center and surrounding areas.
A taxi driver they spoke with confirmed what many suspected:
“The Egyptian government’s biggest fear is that this march would inspire Egyptians to rise up against their own state. The march had to be stopped—not just for Israel’s sake, but for Egypt’s internal stability.”
The Egyptian state, operating under indirect Israeli influence, could not allow any action that might spark domestic unrest.
The Crackdown: When 30 People Gather, Police Arrive
Through messages from other march participants, Federico and Alessandro pieced together what was happening across Cairo:
- A small group of marchers who had arrived early attempted a peaceful demonstration near the checkpoint. Plainclothes police and military forces surrounded them immediately. They were given a choice: return to Cairo voluntarily now, or be forcibly removed later. They chose to return.
- Over the next two days, participants staying in hotels across Cairo were systematically tracked. Some were detained in their rooms. Others were questioned for hours. A few were arrested and held for several days before being released. Several were deported immediately.
- Any gathering of more than 30 people triggered immediate police response. There was no space for coordinated action. No possibility of protest. No chance to march.
The message was clear: You will not reach Gaza. You will not protest. You will leave.
Media Blackout: The World Stops Watching
One of the march’s key purposes was to draw global media attention to the ongoing siege and genocide in Gaza. Organizers had worked for months to build visibility, to ensure the world would be watching.
But just as the march was being shut down in Cairo, international media attention shifted entirely. News of escalating conflict in Iran dominated headlines. The March to Gaza—and the systematic suppression of its participants—disappeared from the news cycle overnight.
Without visibility, without the possibility of coordinated action, and with participants facing increasing risk of arrest and deportation, the Italian delegation made the decision: End the action. Return home.
Personal Reflections: Why We Went
Federico: “I Could Not Stand Still”
“Watching videos of these massacres, of this genocide, I kept asking myself: Can I really just watch? Can I do nothing? What can I do?
That’s when I discovered the March to Gaza. For me, it was essential to take action—to make a movement, to try. In the end, the result isn’t even that important. What matters is the action itself, putting energy into movement and saying ‘enough.’
With my conscience, I say: this is not acceptable. One way or another, I will try to change things.”
Alessandro: “We Are All Complicit”
“We are living in injustice and madness. Thousands of civilians in Palestine killed or forced to starve. Peaceful marchers treated like terrorists—arrested, repressed, crushed by a system that protects the powerful and punishes the weak.
The Italian state showed itself for what it is: working against its own citizens, refusing to authorize any action to defend Palestinian rights and dignity. Instead, it continues sending money and weapons, consenting to this genocide. And we are all complicit, feeding this machine of death.
Thanks to the hard work of the Italian delegation and all the other delegations, we hoped—perhaps naively—that we could do something for Gaza. Instead, we were identified in our accommodations, searched, detained, some deported, blocked at airports, mistreated like criminals under the orders of the Egyptian government.
Palestinians have been asking for respect for their rights for 75 years. We could do nothing for them. We put all our being, all our effort—but only with justice, only in a society where we all have the same rights, can we speak of PEACE.”
On Division, Religion, and Consciousness
Federico:
“They want to keep us divided, using religions. Religion closes. Religion divides. That way, they can do what they want.
There are Christians, Jews, Muslims—all believing in their ‘God.’ Everyone can believe what they want, but why must you think your God is better than another’s?
Without consciousness, there will always be hate. Always war. The real solution is consciousness. If there is a revolution, it will be a revolution of consciousness.
As long as we think we belong to a race, to a religion, we create division—inside ourselves and outside ourselves.
Where there is injustice, the heart feels it. The soul trembles. We must go beyond the illusions of division and feel the oneness of all.”
What Can We Do? Alessandro’s Call to Action
“We think that sharing content on social media is doing something concrete. This is Western madness!
So, to conscientious objectors, to rebels, to free hearts: What can we do concretely for Palestine?
We must unite in a common intent. Boycott. Disrupt. Love. Create a new balance for this society.
United we are strong. Divided we are nothing.
It’s time to remove the mask of indifference. Let’s move. Let’s take concrete actions for our Palestinian brothers and sisters.“
Aliento del Viento: Why We Support Witness
Federico and Alessandro did not reach Gaza. The march was stopped before it could begin. But their presence in Cairo, their willingness to risk detention and deportation, their testimony of systematic state suppression—this matters.
At Aliento del Viento, we believe in the power of witness. We believe in showing up, even when success is uncertain. We believe in refusing to stay silent in the face of injustice.
These two young men went because their hearts could not bear to stay home. They went knowing they might fail. They went because the act of trying is itself resistance.
We are proud to support them. We are grateful for their courage. And we share their testimony so that others may know: the world tried to stop people from standing with Gaza, but we tried anyway.
This Is Not the End
The March to Gaza was blocked. But the cause it represents—justice, dignity, freedom for the Palestinian people—cannot be suppressed.
As Alessandro said: “It’s time to remove the mask of indifference.”
This is not the end. It is a beginning.
