March to Gaza 2025: EU Lawmakers Call on Egypt to Open Humanitarian Path
Carola Rackete
Member of the European Parliament
ASP 08H159 / Rue Wiertz 60
1047 Bruxelles
European Parliament, Brussels
3 June 2025
To His Excellency
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi
President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
Subject: Request for Authorisation and Support for the “March to Gaza 2025”
Your Excellency,
We, Members of the European Parliament, respectfully address you in recognition of the significant and longstanding relations between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the European Union. Egypt is a central and powerful actor in the region and has been a global leader in providing humanitarian aid to Gaza.
In recent days, your Foreign Minister, Mr. Badr Abdelatty, reiterated the urgent need for unrestricted and full access for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and condemned the use of starvation as a weapon against the Palestinian people. It is in this spirit of shared concern for humanitarian access that we write to you today.
We have been informed of the upcoming initiative “March to Gaza 2025”, a peaceful, citizen-led humanitarian march scheduled to take place in June 2025. This initiative seeks to highlight the urgency of unimpeded humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip and to express global solidarity with civilians enduring unimaginable hardship.
The march is intended to proceed from Cairo to Al Arish beginning on 13 June 2025, followed by a two-to-three-day journey to the Rafah border crossing and a return to Cairo on 19 June. Its purpose is to accompany humanitarian aid and raise international awareness, without any political provocation or interference.
As elected representatives of European citizens, we not only support this initiative but intend to personally participate in the march as a sign of our commitment to peace, justice, and human dignity.
We are witnessing, in real time, a devastating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. More than two million people are facing starvation under a total siege that began on 2 March 2025. This siege represents the most severe blockade Gaza has experienced in recent history and defies fundamental principles of international law, including the provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice, which remain unheeded.
In light of this situation, and in full respect of Egypt’s sovereignty and security responsibilities, we hereby respectfully request the official authorization and facilitation of this peaceful humanitarian march through Egyptian territory. We ask for your cooperation in allowing the participants to transit safely from Cairo to Rafah and back, and to enable the dignified accompaniment of aid destined for civilians in Gaza.
Your Excellency, we believe that Egypt’s support for this humanitarian action would send a powerful message to the international community and reaffirm its historic leadership in the region as a defender of peace and justice.
We remain at your disposal for any clarification you may require and extend our sincere appreciation for your attention to this matter.
Yours sincerely,
- Carola Rackete, Member of the European Parliament
- Isabel Serra Sanchez, Member of the European Parliament
- Irene Montero Gil, Member of the European Parliament
- Özlem Alev Demirel, Member of the European Parliament
- Jaume Asens, Member of the European Parliament
- Estrella Galán, Member of the European Parliament
- Domenico Lucano, Member of the European Parliament
- Rima Hassan, Member of the European Parliament
- Damien Careme, Member of the European Parliament
- Brando Benifei, Member of the European Parliament
- Yvan Verougstraete, Member of the European Parliament
- Irena Joveva, Member of the European Parliament
- Mounir Satouri, Member of the European Parliament
- Majdouline Sbaï, Member of the European Parliament
- Marco Tarquinio, Member of the European Parliament
- Hana Jalloul, Member of the European Parliament
- Sirpa Pietikäinen, Member of the European Parliament
- Catarina Martins, Member of the European Parliament