{"id":16420,"date":"2026-09-24T17:17:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T15:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/?p=16420"},"modified":"2026-09-24T17:17:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T15:17:09","slug":"warraq-builders-terrorism-charges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/warraq-builders-terrorism-charges\/","title":{"rendered":"Selling Cement to Warraq Residents Is Now a Terrorism Charge. 19 Traders Have Been in Jail Since December"},"content":{"rendered":"<p dir=\"ltr\">On September 14, the Second Terrorism Circuit, convening at Badr Correction and Rehabilitation Center, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ecrf.net\/posts\/pfbid02n7XpErZT9tviooPzCySGX5RiURBnEFGeh3ACY6pazgGtR4SnRJVeLs8ffRM9HRnzl\">renewed<\/a> the detention of 19 building materials traders from Qalyubia Governorate for 45 days in connection with Case No. 10709 of 2025, Supreme State Security register.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The group faces charges of joining a terrorist organization, unlawful assembly, and spreading false news, in a case that rights organizations, lawyers, and the defendants&#8217; families link to the sale of cement, bricks, and sand to residents of Warraq Island, to which authorities have banned the entry of building materials since 2017.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Security forces arrested the traders from their homes in batches during the second half of December 2025, then presented them before the Supreme State Security Prosecution in the Fifth Settlement between December 23 and 25, after a number of them had, according to what the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ecrf.net\/posts\/%D8%AA%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D8%AD%D8%A8%D8%B3-19-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%AA%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%AE%D9%84%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B9-%D9%85%D8%B9-%D8%A3%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A-%D8%AC%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B1\/1405263878312112\/\">Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms said<\/a>, been subjected to varying periods of enforced disappearance before appearing before investigating authorities.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In a <a href=\"https:\/\/eipr.org\/press\/2026\/02\/%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A5%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%B9%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%86%D9%8A-%D8%B6%D8%AF-%D8%B3%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82-%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A9-%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%AC%D8%AF%D8%AF-%D8%AD%D8%A8%D8%B3-%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D9%88%D8%AA%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A8%D8%AA%D9%87%D9%85\">statement<\/a> published last February, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights said that forces belonging to the National Security Sector at the Ministry of Interior arrested the group from various areas in Qalyubia in violent home raids accompanied by the terrorization of women and children from the families of those arrested, then took them to the National Security headquarters in Shubra Al-Kheima, where they were illegally detained and forcibly disappeared for days before being presented to the prosecution. According to the Initiative, the prosecution charged the traders and workers with joining and financing a terrorist organization, participating in unlawful assembly, misusing social media, spreading false news, and using electronic means to promote the commission of terrorist crimes, without evidence of any illegal activity. It added that those arrested are licensed traders holding commercial registrations and legal warehouses, with well-established relationships and a known history within their social circles.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ecrf.net\/posts\/%D8%AA%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D8%AD%D8%A8%D8%B3-19-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%AA%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%AE%D9%84%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B9-%D9%85%D8%B9-%D8%A3%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A-%D8%AC%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B3%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B1\/1405263878312112\/\">list<\/a> of the 19 traders held in connection with the case includes: Hammam Mohamed Hammam Mohamed, Mohamed Ali Mohamed Ahmed Al-Rouby, Monir Rabie Ali Ali Al-Birmawi, Ramadan Mahmoud Shafei Abd El-Aziz, Ibrahim Ali Ibrahim Ali Zeidan, Mohamed Kamal Mohamed Marsal, Mohamed Fawzi Abbas Nagdy, Hamdi Tamam Mohamed Tayea, Yassin Mohamed Mohamed, Maghrebi Abd El-Hamid Hawash, Akkasha Ali Ahmed Abd El-Aal, Ashraf Mohamed Shalaby Kaseb, Ahmed Mohamed Ezzt Ahmed, Ayman Sayed Lotfy Sayed Abu Al-Einein, Ahmed Salah Afifi El-Sayed Abu Al-Einein, Saeed Fares Ramadan Sayed, Atrees Abd El-Khaleq Atrees Mohamed, Mahrous Kaseb Shalaby Kaseb, and Khaled Imbaby Hassan Imbaby.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/reel\/1210906463725866\">Video<\/a>: Makram Mahrous, a Warraq Island resident, documents the case.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The ban on building materials entering the island dates to 2017, when the head of Warraq District, Mohamed Nour, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.almasryalyoum.com\/news\/details\/1147340\">said<\/a> that their entry was completely prohibited on instructions from Giza Governorate, on the grounds that construction licenses were absent and the island had not been incorporated into the detailed urban plan. With the state&#8217;s plan to replan the island and establish &#8220;New Warraq City,&#8221; the ban continued and became <a href=\"https:\/\/revsoc.me\/politics\/52946\/\">one of<\/a> the recurring sources of friction between residents and authorities. In <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/qurium\/zawia3.com\/warraq-island-egypt.html\">earlier documentation<\/a>, Zawia3 reported island residents saying that the restrictions were not limited to preventing new construction, but also prevented the entry of materials needed to repair and maintain their homes, while government authorities justified the measures as preventing unauthorized construction and preserving lands designated for the development project.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In September 2024, <a href=\"https:\/\/manassa.news\/news\/20000\">security forces blocked<\/a> the entry of building materials through the ferries, causing congestion and tensions. Rights organizations, including the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, documented incidents they described as violations, including arrests and excessive use of force. In contrast, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/EgyptianCabinet\/posts\/%D8%B1%D8%A6%D9%8A%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B2%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D9%8A%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%88%D9%82%D9%81-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%86%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%B0%D9%8A-%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%AA%D8%B7%D9%88%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D8%A8%D8%AC%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84\/1143824984454587\/\">the Giza Governor and Housing Ministry officials said<\/a> that the island&#8217;s development project falls within a national plan for developing Nile islands, and that the state is committed to providing alternative units and fair compensation and does not seek forced displacement. The Council of Ministers also issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/sis.gov.eg\/Story\/297942\/%D8%B1%D8%A6%D9%8A%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B2%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D9%8A%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%88%D9%82%D9%81-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%86%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%B0%D9%8A-%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%AA%D8%B7%D9%88%D9%8A%D8%B8%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82?lang=ar\">statement<\/a> in November 2024 stating that &#8220;the state does not confiscate anyone&#8217;s property, but applies the law to violators.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"M5S841WK7C\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/warak\/\">Zawia3 Reveals Use of Live Bullets Against Civilians on Al-Warraq Island<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cZawia3 Reveals Use of Live Bullets Against Civilians on Al-Warraq Island\u201d \u2014 \u0632\u0627\u0648\u064a\u0629 \u062b\u0627\u0644\u062b\u0629\" src=\"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/warak\/embed\/#?secret=wjVHh3Is9d#?secret=M5S841WK7C\" data-secret=\"M5S841WK7C\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">From Cement and Bricks to a &#8220;Terrorist Organization&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Lawyer Mohamed Abd El-Galil, one of Warraq Island&#8217;s residents, tells Zawia3 that all the traders are from outside the island, from Giza and Qalyubia governorates, and that they were selling cement, sand, gravel, and bricks, as well as some home maintenance supplies, to a number of island residents, and that they were arrested from their homes on account of this activity.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">He notes that the case brought against them includes charges of &#8220;overthrowing the system of government&#8221; and &#8220;joining a banned organization,&#8221; alongside other charges, which he considers &#8220;untrue&#8221; and entirely remote from the nature of the building materials trade they were engaged in.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Abd El-Galil says that the island&#8217;s lawyers did not take on the defense of the defendants in this case, and that had they done so they would have provided them legal assistance free of charge and linked the case to the Warraq Island file. He believes the defendants feared this connection out of concern it would draw them into a larger case, a fear he considers misplaced, since cases related to island residents were in previous instances resolved through lawyers&#8217; and residents&#8217; pressure and demands.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Abd El-Galil reveals another case concerning four young men from the island: Mohamed Emad, Adham Sabry, Ahmed Sabry, and Ibrahim Sharaf El-Din. He says they were obtaining building materials with the aim of selling them, and that the State Security Criminal Court sentenced each of them to ten years in prison approximately three days before his conversation with Zawia3. He considers that these cases are being treated as criminal cases despite their nature, in his view, transcending the criminal framework. He says: &#8220;Our cases are not criminal at all&#8221;; they are, in his estimation, political in character but placed within a criminal framework, which drove residents and lawyers to engage with them within that framework in pursuit of resolving them and getting their sons out of prison.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Abd El-Galil describes the four young men as &#8220;extremely ordinary people,&#8221; saying what they did was limited to obtaining building materials and selling them to earn a living, estimating their ages at no more than thirty, with some in their twenties. He warns of the effect of long sentences on their futures: someone sentenced to ten years at thirty comes out at forty, and long years of these young people&#8217;s lives and futures are threatened with being lost.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In the same context, rights lawyer Maha Ahmed tells Zawia3 that &#8220;commercial dealings with Warraq Island residents cannot, in themselves, be a reason for detention or a charge of terrorism,&#8221; stressing that any charge must be based on specific acts and evidence pertaining to each defendant individually, with their right to defense and to fair trial procedures guaranteed.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">She adds that the continued detention of the traders requires a review of its grounds, and that the default should be their release unless there are serious and specific legal justifications requiring the continuation of their detention. She says: &#8220;Punishing traders merely for selling building materials to Warraq residents is unacceptable. Commercial dealings with island residents are not a crime in themselves, and liability cannot be built on the identity of the people with whom traders do business.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Maha Ahmed links the case to the restrictions imposed for years on the entry of building materials to the island, arguing that these restrictions &#8220;affect residents&#8217; ability to maintain their homes and improve their living conditions, and increase pressure on them in the context of the ongoing dispute over the island&#8217;s future.&#8221; She rejects forced eviction and calls for developing the island with the participation of its residents in a manner that preserves their right to housing and to remain, since &#8220;the traders&#8217; detention cannot be viewed in isolation from the broader Warraq crisis, and from residents&#8217; demands to participate in determining the island&#8217;s future and guaranteeing their right to housing and freedom from forced displacement.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\n<hr \/>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">What Families of Traders and Island Residents Say<\/h3>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In an effort to trace the case&#8217;s circumstances, Zawia3 contacted a number of the families of the arrested traders and island residents who have followed the file from its beginning, to establish the nature of the defendants&#8217; activities and the circumstances that preceded their arrest and the state of their legal situations.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">One resident who has followed the case from its beginning says the 19 arrested traders are mostly from Qalyubia Governorate, with some belonging to the areas of Basos, Abu Al-Ghait, Al-Qanater, Al-Farnawy, Abu Al-Monja, and Al-Sharqawiya, and that their activity centered on selling sand, gravel, cement, and bricks to island residents. They were surprised to find themselves included in a case containing charges of joining a terrorist organization and overthrowing the system of government alongside other charges, which he considers &#8220;fabricated,&#8221; as the traders in his account committed no crime and their activity did not exceed the building materials trade. He also notes that the case included a charge of violating a Prime Minister&#8217;s decision related to prohibiting the entry of building materials into Warraq Island, asking about the responsibility of traders living outside the island for this decision given that their role was limited to selling materials to whoever among its residents requested them.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Another account obtained by Zawia3 from an island resident reveals the presence of elderly people among those arrested, including trader Ramadan Shafei. The source says Shafei is over sixty years old and suffers from severe obesity that makes his movement and transfer extremely difficult, and that these health conditions did not prevent the continuation of what he described as &#8220;arbitrary&#8221; judicial proceedings against him.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Residents&#8217; accounts did not stop at the traders in the latest case: one resident speaks of being personally pursued in a case linked to building materials trade, saying that a ruling was issued against him of 25 years in prison on the basis of charges related to trading in gravel and sand, and that the case is still ongoing, though he refuses to disclose its number because he faces security threats.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"qCw2k6rqQL\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/negaila\/\">Women Detained, Youths Executed: Unfolding the Nageela Tragedy in Matrouh<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cWomen Detained, Youths Executed: Unfolding the Nageela Tragedy in Matrouh\u201d \u2014 \u0632\u0627\u0648\u064a\u0629 \u062b\u0627\u0644\u062b\u0629\" src=\"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/negaila\/embed\/#?secret=V1B5OGHmzu#?secret=qCw2k6rqQL\" data-secret=\"qCw2k6rqQL\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">The Warraq Crisis<\/h3>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The traders&#8217; case comes within the context of an extended dispute between island residents and the state whose episodes renewed last August. On the second of the month, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/almanassanews\/posts\/%D9%84%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AB%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D8%B4%D8%AA%D8%A8%D9%83%D8%AA-%D9%82%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%B9-%D8%B9%D8%B4%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A3%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A-%D8%AC%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82-%D8%A3%D9%85%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D9%84\/1574016891402952\/\">clashes erupted<\/a> near the Al-Qilali ferry after residents objected to the procedures restricting the entry of building materials, resulting in the injury of at least two people, before renewing the following day after a resident&#8217;s car was searched for building materials. The crisis escalated into a <a href=\"https:\/\/manassa.news\/news\/33366\">sit-in<\/a> demanding permission to bring in materials and improved services, suspended after negotiations with security leadership and promises to establish a mechanism regulating entry.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The New Warraq Island Development Authority, however, <a href=\"https:\/\/mhuc.gov.eg\/%D9%86%D9%81%D9%89_%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%B2_%D8%AA%D9%86%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A9_%D8%AC%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A9_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A9_%D9%85%D8%A7_%D8%AA%D9%85_%D8%AA%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%84%D9%87_%D8%A8%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%B6_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%B9_%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D9%81%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%AA_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AC%D9%87%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A9_%D8%A8%D8%B4%D8%A3%D9%86_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AD_%D8%A8%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B1_%D9%85%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AF_%D8%A3%D9%88_%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%B2%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AA_%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%A1_%D8%A5%D9%84%D9%89_%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AE%D9%84_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A9%2C\/%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AA_%D8%B5%D8%AD%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%A7\">denied<\/a> on August 12 allowing any construction materials or supplies to pass into the island, saying that existing controls remain in force and that government development projects are proceeding according to their announced plans, before subsequently <a href=\"https:\/\/gate.ahram.org.eg\/News\/5887685.aspx\">announcing<\/a> the continued ban following protests organized by a number of residents, clarifying that &#8220;no building materials have been permitted to pass into the island.&#8221; A segment of residents insists on remaining in the island and developing it while retaining their homes and lands, against a government plan to replan it and vacate areas targeted by the project.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In mid-August, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/reel\/1553933652320805\">hundreds of island residents organized<\/a> a protest sit-in outside the city authority&#8217;s premises objecting to the disregard for demands they had submitted approximately a week earlier. According to participants, the authority had closed its doors since morning and no official came out to meet them, while security forces intensified their presence around the sit-in.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Residents say that the policy of restricting building materials in recent years prevented them from repairing or rebuilding their homes, at a time when government construction continues inside the island, and that ferries have been converted into checkpoints preventing the entry of bricks, sand, and cement, making any attempt at renovation a recurring source of friction with security.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Warraq Island is <a href=\"https:\/\/aps.aucegypt.edu\/ar\/articles\/1427\/warraq-island-development-that-pushes-residents-out\">the largest<\/a> Nile island by area, at approximately 1,500 feddans according to the official account, of which approximately 1,200 feddans are high-quality agricultural land. Its residents, estimated by an American University in Cairo study at approximately 120,000 people, depend primarily on vegetable farming and fishing. The island&#8217;s actual area is subject to varying estimates ranging between approximately 1,250 feddans and 1,835 feddans depending on the source.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The roots of the crisis trace back to 1998 when a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/story.php?story_fbid=960600842778420&amp;id=100064855383942&amp;rdid=gRMIk5bOOAELIac9\">decision<\/a> was issued designating Warraq Island a natural reserve, raising residents&#8217; suspicions of an intention to evacuate the island. A <a href=\"https:\/\/assafirarabi.com\/ar\/17252\/2017\/10\/05\/%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%AF%D9%81%D8%AA%D8%B1-%D8%A3%D8%AD%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%AC%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82-%D9%87%D9%84-%D8%AA%D8%BA%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%A7\/\">Prime Minister&#8217;s decision<\/a> followed in 2001 subjecting the island to the state property law, from which point legal disputes between residents and the state began. In <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/qurium\/zawia3.com\/al-warak.html\">earlier documentation<\/a>, Zawia3 reported that residents obtained a court ruling in their favor in 2002 regarding ownership of lands on the island. In 2010 the government announced the demarcation of the administrative boundaries of five governorates including Giza, encompassing Warraq, and drew up a development plan for the island, before matters calmed for a few years following the removal of former President Hosni Mubarak&#8217;s regime (1981-2011).<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">On June 7, 2017, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/matsda2sh\/posts\/-%D8%AA%D8%B5%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%85-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B4%D8%B1-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%87-%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AC%D9%88-%D9%85%D9%88%D9%82%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B7%D9%86-%D9%88%D9%85%D9%83%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%A8-%D9%81%D9%8A%D9%87-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%B3%D9%8A-%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%82%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%B6%D9%8A-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%84-%D8%B9\/418401862116197\/\">said<\/a>: &#8220;There is an island in the heart of the Nile River, exceeding 1,250 feddans in area, whose name I will not mention, where informal settlements have begun to spread and citizens have started building through adverse possession. If there are fifty thousand homes, where will their waste be disposed? Into the Nile from which we drink?&#8221; He added that such islands &#8220;must be given priority in treatment,&#8221; and that their residents &#8220;were not granted the right to remain under any circumstances,&#8221; even though the state had in other cases allowed adverse possessors to regularize their situations in exchange for paying land values.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In July of that year, the crisis <a href=\"https:\/\/manassa.news\/news\/18512\">escalated<\/a> when security forces attempted to implement demolition orders built on the premise that the lands were state property, met with broad popular resistance during which one resident died from injuries sustained. Since then, the island has been under tight security surveillance, residents began organizing sporadic protests, popular committees were formed to defend the island, the hashtag &#8220;#Warraq_Is_Not_For_Sale&#8221; was launched, and residents refused to leave their homes or accept compensation they considered below the true value of the land and its location.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In 2018, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youm7.com\/story\/2018\/4\/18\/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%83%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%86-%D9%86%D9%82%D9%84-%D8%AA%D8%A8%D8%B9%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AC%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82-%D9%84%D9%87%D9%8A%D8%A6%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AC%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%B8%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%A1\/3750972\">the transfer<\/a> of the island&#8217;s file to the New Urban Communities Authority was announced, which began purchasing lands from residents at prices ranging between 6,000 Egyptian pounds ($124.22) and 12,000 Egyptian pounds ($248.45) per square meter. Authorities rely on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youm7.com\/story\/2024\/12\/9\/%D9%86%D9%86%D8%B4%D8%B1-%D9%86%D8%B5-%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%82%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D9%88%D8%A5%D8%AC%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A1%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%B1%D9%81-%D9%81%D9%89-%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%83-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF\/6805727\">Law No. 7 of 1991<\/a> on state private properties and Law No. 144 of 2017 on the regularization of adverse possession, which observers consider the basis for eviction if residents do not regularize their situations. Many residents say they <a href=\"https:\/\/ar.globalvoices.org\/2024\/11\/08\/89521\/\">hold<\/a> documented sale and purchase contracts dating back to the 1940s alongside registered contracts, making ownership a matter of legal dispute.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">According to <a href=\"https:\/\/egy-map.com\/project\/%D9%85%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D9%85%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%A9-%D8%AD%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%B3\">published maps<\/a> attributed to the Armed Forces Engineering Authority, the island&#8217;s development project encompasses a major investment zone referred to as &#8220;Horus City,&#8221; comprising residential towers, hotels, and a business district. The <a href=\"https:\/\/alayyam.info\/news\/9443C87J-GL58AG-6EE1\">State Information Service<\/a> described the project as aiming to transform the island into a global commercial center covering 1,516 feddans at a total cost of 17.5 billion Egyptian pounds (approximately $362.32 million), encompassing eight investment zones, a commercial zone, premium housing, a central park, a tourist marina, a riverside frontage, a cultural zone, and a tourist corniche, without the name &#8220;Horus&#8221; appearing in official statements or any publicly announced details about resident resettlement. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elwatannews.com\/news\/details\/6217828\">Al-Watan<\/a> and other outlets published the same maps, which underpin residents&#8217; suspicions that the objective is to convert the island into a major real estate project.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The case of the 19 traders sits at the heart of the most recurring of this dispute&#8217;s files: the ban on building materials entering the island since 2017, and the successive frictions between residents and authorities that followed, then the extension of the ban&#8217;s effects to traders from outside the island who, according to their lawyers and families, are connected to it by nothing other than selling bricks and cement to its residents. The 45-day period of the September 14 decision expires to return the group before the same circuit at Badr: either another renewal, or the release that Maha Ahmed considers &#8220;the default.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>19 licensed building materials traders from Qalyubia have been held since December 2025 on terrorism charges, with lawyers and rights organizations saying the only link between them and the case is selling bricks, cement, and sand to Warraq Island residents. Four young men from the island were separately sentenced to ten years each on the same grounds<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":16413,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[390],"tags":[17750,17749,17742,17747,17745,17751,17743,17757,17746,17754,17752,17758,17755,17759,17748,17756,17357,17753,17744,17741],"kateb":[11853],"class_list":["post-16420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-human-rights","tag-19-qalyubia-building-materials-traders-detained-terrorism-charges-warraq-island-december-2025","tag-egypt-anti-terrorism-law-misuse","tag-egypt-building-materials-ban","tag-egypt-construction-materials-arrest","tag-egypt-forced-eviction-nile-island","tag-egypt-state-security-arrests-licensed-traders-selling-cement-bricks-sand-warraq-residents","tag-egypt-state-security-traders-detained","tag-egypt-supreme-state-security-prosecution-case-10709-2025-warraq-island-traders","tag-egyptian-commission-rights-freedoms-warraq","tag-egyptian-initiative-personal-rights-traders-enforced-disappearance-shubra-al-kheima-national-security-headquarters","tag-four-warraq-island-youth-sentenced-10-years-prison-mohamed-emad-adham-sabry-ahmed-sabry-ibrahim-sharaf-el-din","tag-giza-governorate-new-urban-communities-authority-warraq-island-land-6000-12000-pounds-per-meter","tag-horus-city-warraq-island-development-project-17-5-billion-pounds-1516-feddans-armed-forces-engineering-authority","tag-maha-ahmed-rights-lawyer-commercial-dealings-warraq-not","tag-qalyubia-traders-imprisoned","tag-warraq-island-120000-residents-nile-largest-island-agricultural-land-forced-displacement","tag-warraq-island-2026","tag-warraq-island-building-materials-ban-since-2017-enforced-construction-prevented-residents","tag-warraq-island-development-crisis","tag-warraq-island-terrorism-charges","kateb-hisham-aref"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/\u0627\u0644\u0648\u0631\u0627\u0642.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16420"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16420\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16421,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16420\/revisions\/16421"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16420"},{"taxonomy":"kateb","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kateb?post=16420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}