Across Egypt, activists supporting Palestine are ending up behind bars for offences as minor as raising a flag. As he jostles to position himself as a mediator in Israel-Gaza peace talks, President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi is clamping down on any free political expression.

On 1 May six Egyptians, who raised pro-Palestine banners in Alexandria, were arrested. The previous week, 16 feminist protesters disappeared, detained for a peaceful solidarity action outside the UN Women headquarters in Cairo. In April another 10 activists were held and interrogated over allegations of forming a terrorist group after participating in a pro-Gaza demonstration.