Egyptian authorities stopped a group of protesters from more than 80 nations who were planning on marching to Gaza.

The protesters with the Global March on Gaza, who wanted to demonstrate against restrictions on aid entering the Palestinian territory, said that Egyptian officials confiscated 40 of their passports, according to the Associated Press.

The detainment happened at a “toll both-turned-checkpoint” manned by officers in riot gear and armored vehicles.

“If individuals are forcibly taken to the airport for deportation under false pretenses, participants are prepared to … initiate a hunger strike,” the organizers remarked.

The organizers called for the home countries of their detained associates to demand their release.

Beyond the detainments on Friday, hundreds of other activists who arrived in Cairo were previously deported to their home countries in Europe and Africa.

The Global March on Gaza was scheduled for Sunday, but it was put on hold.

“We continue to urge the Egyptian government to permit this peaceful march, which aligns with Egypt’s own stated commitment to restoring stability at its border and addressing the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” the organizers said in a statement, per the Associated Press.

The activists had planned to travel through Sinai to reach Gaza, but the Egyptians would not grant them permission for the journey.

The Associated Press noted that Egypt has suppressed pro-Palestine demonstrations while also calling for the lifting of aid restrictions, which Israel has put in place since March.

Egypt is a major recipient of American foreign aid.

The nation’s government has arrested some 186 activists since the war between Israel and Gaza started.

One activist recently recorded protesters from around the world clashing with Egyptian police, with some of them being detained and loaded into vans by what he claimed were police officers in civilian clothing, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Mohammad Al-Zubide, an activist from Germany, said, “These people were sent specifically by the Egyptian police to suppress and beat us.”

“The Egyptian government has stopped peaceful foreign nationals at the Ismailia checkpoint to prevent them from proceeding towards the Rafah border,” Al-Zubide said.

“Authorities have confiscated passports and compelled many to turn back by force.”

Global March on Gaza commented on Instagram that they had experienced “unprovoked violence against a peaceful global delegation,” which included activists being “detained, harassed, physically harmed and deported.”

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