Palestinian civilians attempting to return to Gaza through the Rafah border crossing have reported systematic abuse and psychological torture by Israeli security forces. The allegations emerge as the crossing partially reopens after nearly two years of closure following Israel’s military occupation and destruction of the transit point in May 2024.
Rotana al-Raqab, among the first group of returnees, provided a detailed account of her ordeal to local media. After entering via the Egyptian border, she and eleven others—including nine women and three children—were apprehended by Israeli-backed armed groups. The detainees were transported approximately half a kilometer inside Rafah to an Israeli military checkpoint.
According to Raqab’s testimony, she, her mother, and another woman were separated from the group and held in custody from sunset until approximately 11 PM. During this detention, the women were blindfolded, handcuffed, and subjected to intense interrogation about matters they claimed to have no knowledge of or connection to.
The psychological pressure included explicit threats against their families. One soldier threatened to remove Raqab’s children from Gaza and detain her indefinitely, while another urged her to permanently abandon the territory with her children. Raqab interpreted these tactics as deliberate intimidation, stating: ‘They want to deprive us of our children. They don’t want us to return to Gaza. They don’t want large numbers to return; they want large numbers to leave.’
More disturbingly, Raqab reported that an Israeli officer attempted to recruit the women as intelligence assets within Gaza, while another soldier made threats of ‘improper things’ against another detainee. Israeli forces also confiscated all personal belongings except one bag of clothing, prohibiting essential items including food, children’s toys, and phone chargers.
An elderly woman returning on Monday described similar treatment, detailing a three-hour interrogation despite her medical condition and characterizing the experience as ‘bad treatment.’
The border reopening has been severely restricted, with Israeli authorities implementing strict limitations on both the identity and number of permitted travelers. Of the 42 Palestinians scheduled to return on Monday, 30 were turned away. Meanwhile, only five patients accompanied by 15 companions were allowed to exit Gaza for medical treatment—significantly fewer than the agreed daily quota of 150 departures.
Hamas has condemned Israel’s actions at the crossing, calling on ceasefire mediators to ‘take immediate action to stop these fascist practices.’ The Palestinian faction described the alleged abuse as part of a systematic policy of collective punishment and intimidation designed to deter Palestinians from returning to Gaza.