Occupied Jerusalem, Feb. 14 (SANA) – Israeli occupation continue to impose strict security measures on Palestinians returning to the Gaza Strip via the Rafah Crossing, including prolonged interrogations, physical restraints, and confiscation of personal belongings. The crossing has remained under Israeli military control since May 2024, worsening the plight of patients, students, and families seeking to return.
Transit Process: From Security Screening to Forced Interrogation
Palestinian media report that passage through the Rafah Crossing involves a complex procedure. It begins with security checks on names, followed by movement through fenced corridors where European Union and Palestinian Authority staff stamp passports. Israeli checkpoints then subject returnees to extended interrogations while blindfolded and handcuffed, procedures described as violating their human dignity.
Human Rights Warnings: Crossing Used as a Tool for Displacement
The Gaza Center for Human Rights warned that Israel’s security restrictions undermine the fundamental right to freedom of movement, particularly for travel and medical treatment. Patients and the wounded are granted special protection under international law. Conditioning their exit on security concerns or limited quotas effectively turns Rafah Crossing from a humanitarian gateway into a tool of pressure and forced displacement.
UN: Arbitrary Practices and Systematic Violations
The United Nations confirmed that Palestinians attempting to return through the crossing are subjected to arbitrary practices, including handcuffing, blindfolding, body searches, threats, theft of property, and financial extortion intended to force some to return to Egypt or cooperate with Israeli occupation, in clear violation of international humanitarian law.
Militias and Unsafe Routes Exacerbate the Crisis
International rights organizations accuse Israeli-linked groups of aggravating the situation by threatening routes leading to the crossing, detaining travelers, and handing them over to Israeli occupation forces. These practices create a dangerous environment, particularly affecting patients, students, and individuals with humanitarian permits.
Staggering Figures Reveal Limited Movement
Official Palestinian data indicate that movement through the crossing remains extremely limited, with only dozens able to pass daily despite thousands on travel lists. The Gaza government media office reported that only 397 out of 1,600 registered travelers were able to pass in both directions since the crossing partially reopened at the beginning of February, reflecting a 25% Israeli compliance rate.
Tens of Thousands Stranded as Healthcare Collapses
Palestinian authorities estimate that approximately 22,000 wounded and sick individuals urgently need to leave the Strip for treatment amid the near-total collapse of the healthcare system. Around 80,000 Palestinians have registered to return to Gaza, awaiting full access to the crossing.
Rafah remains the only land exit to Gaza that does not pass through Israeli-controlled territory. It has remained closed since Israeli occupation took control in May 2024, before partially reopening on February 1, 2026, as part of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement. The international community continues to call for its full opening to save more than two million Palestinians living under unprecedented humanitarian conditions.
