Egyptian authorities have blocked activists’ efforts to hold a march to the Gaza border to draw attention to Israel’s blockade of the war-torn Palestinian territory, organisers said, AFP reports.

Several dozen activists hoping to join the planned Global March to Gaza were stopped on the edge of Cairo as they attempted to reach the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya, the organisers said.

From there, they had hoped to travel on by road to the North Sinai city of El-Arish, the starting point for their planned march to the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing on the Gaza border.

“We were blocked for six to seven hours before security forces violently dispersed our group,” one organiser said.