Campaigners walk 30 miles through the Sinai desert to demand humanitarian access to Gaza

ACTIVISTS from West Wales are among thousands of international campaigners marching through Egypt this week in a daring bid to reach the Rafah border crossing and demand humanitarian access to the besieged Gaza Strip.

At least eight to ten people from Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, including a CND Cymru delegation, are taking part in the Global March to Gaza, a growing international mobilisation involving more than 4,000 participants from 54 countries.

The group includes Jim Scott of Mathry, a longtime Pembrokeshire campaigner and member of CND Cymru, along with other residents from across Wales. They arrived in Cairo earlier this week and are due to depart for Al Arish in North Sinai on Thursday morning (June 13) via coach, before beginning a 30-mile walk on foot through the desert.

The marchers plan to reach the Rafah crossing on Saturday (June 15), camping en route in tents as they navigate the harsh terrain of the Sinai Peninsula, where daytime temperatures are expected to exceed 35°C. The crossing itself remains under tight Egyptian and Israeli military control.

Organisers say the march is a symbolic act of solidarity and an urgent call for Israel to lift the blockade and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, where more than 60,000 people have been killed and thousands more displaced, according to activists and aid agencies.

West Wales voices on the frontline

In an open letter sent to Pembrokeshire MP Henry Tufnell, Eluned Morgan MS, and other Welsh and UK representatives, Jim Scott wrote:

“I feel I must act where you have not acted. The UK Government has failed to stop a genocide and has, in fact, been complicit by continuing to authorise arms sales and military cooperation with Israel.”

Scott warned of the dangers marchers face: “We may face arrest, detention, deportation—or worse—military aggression. But we are prepared. History will judge whether we stood with the victims or remained silent.”

Tasmin Nash, a Pembrokeshire art curator and mother of four, also joined the delegation. She told The Herald:

“I saw four bewildered children bleeding on a hospital bed. I cannot rest or stay silent while Israel destroys and burns people alive. I’ve protested, fundraised, disrupted—but now I must walk.”

“Alongside the 12 hearts aboard the Freedom Flotilla, I will do what governments have failed to do—rise and move. The people will make the difference.”

Jo Barrow, aged 60, who also travelled from Wales, added: “I could have been born in Gaza. My children could be the ones we see dying on our screens. When you really absorb that truth, how could I not lend my presence to this cause?”

“We must get the aid in. This is about our collective humanity.”

A march amid uncertainty

Whether the Egyptian authorities will allow the march to proceed to Rafah remains unclear. But organisers have stated that the aim is not confrontation but awareness—to create international pressure on Israel and Western governments to allow aid through the crossing.

The march is timed to coincide with a 7,000-strong convoy approaching Gaza from Tunisia and follows a wave of global actions, including blockades, vigils and civil disobedience.

A spokesperson for CND Cymru said: “We are proud to support this march. The silence of Western governments in the face of genocide is unacceptable. In taking part, we bear witness. And we will not forget the brutality committed.”

“As the Madleen and Conscience flotillas carried aid and the hope of the world, so too does this international march.”

The group is marching with minimal supplies, sleeping rough and relying on community support and crowdfunding to cover basic costs.

Criticism of Welsh complicity

Adam Johannes, of Cardiff Stop the War Coalition, also voiced support for the march and criticised the Welsh Government’s links to arms firms.

“Wales is welcoming weapons manufacturers under the guise of economic development—some of these firms are directly connected to the oppression of Palestinians.”

He added: “We must choose a peace-first approach, just as the Lucas Aerospace workers once proposed turning weapons factories into centres for building life-saving medical devices and wind turbines. The spirit of resistance lives on.”

The Global March to Gaza has been endorsed by dozens of organisations across the UK, including Stop the War Coalition, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Peace and Justice Project, and Cymdeithas yr Iaith.

The delegation from Wales say they are buoyed by support from home, including crowdfunders, social media campaigns, and solidarity vigils, and remain committed to finishing the journey.

“We may be only a few people from Pembrokeshire,” said Jim Scott, “but we carry with us the conscience of a much wider community. This is what solidarity looks like.”