Shafaq News- Gaza

As the Rafah Crossing resumed operations on February 2 under the second phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Palestinians attempting to return to Gaza described a journey marked by severe hardship, with some returnees summarizing the experience with a single word: “death.”

Palestinian media reports indicate that entry procedures involved multiple layers of screening after travelers crossed from Egypt, during which individuals were separated, questioned for extended periods, and deprived of personal belongings, including identification documents and items belonging to children, such as toys.

Several accounts referred to repeated diversions to checkpoints away from the crossing, where decisions were made on who would be allowed to proceed. Of six buses carrying returnees, according to the reports, only one was ultimately permitted to enter Gaza, while the remainder were turned back to the Egyptian side.

Women featured prominently in the testimonies. Sabah Al-Raqab recounted being held for hours alongside other women, during which they were restrained, forcibly searched, verbally abused, threatened with death, and stripped of their belongings before being released after lengthy questioning.

Another returnee, Rotana Al-Raqab, said she was taken by an armed group operating near the crossing and transferred to Israeli forces. “They told me they were protecting people,” she said, questioning how such protection could involve handing her over while she was alone.

An elderly Palestinian woman who had traveled to Egypt for medical treatment, and who was among only 11 of 50 people allowed to enter, described being humiliated during her return. Recalling the moment the crossing opened, she said, “I told them to register my name. I wanted to go back to my children —my longing for Gaza is immense…I did not want to leave my country, but I was forced to because I was ill and needed treatment.”

In other accounts, a woman who reached Gaza through the crossing rejected displacement, declaring, “No to expulsion —no one leaves,” before collapsing in tears when asked about her experience, which she summed up with the word “death,” while other returnees called the journey “a piece of hell’s torment,” underscoring that remaining outside the strip was not a viable alternative.

The Rafah Crossing reopened in both directions for the first time since May 2024, following a limited trial run a day earlier, as part of the ceasefire agreement, after a war that has resulted in 71,803 deaths and 171,570 injuries, since October 7, 2023. The United Nations has repeatedly warned that the blockade on Gaza has caused acute shortages of food, medicine, fuel, and clean water, leaving hospitals overwhelmed and preventing thousands of patients from traveling for treatment.

In a statement, Hamas condemned the “deliberate mistreatment” of returnees, particularly women and children, arguing that the practices were intended to discourage Palestinians from returning to Gaza. The movement called on international human rights organizations to document the incidents and urged mediators to ensure unrestricted and safe passage through the crossing.

The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine criticized restrictions accompanying the reopening, warning that limits on the travel of patients and wounded people endanger more than 20,000 individuals awaiting urgent medical care. The Free Palestine Movement condemned the treatment of travelers as “a violation of human rights” and called for immediate intervention to compel Israel to abide by the agreement and fully reopen the crossing.