DaysOfPal — Israeli occupation forces arrested three Palestinians attempting to return home to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing, intensifying fears that the journey back to Gaza has become a dangerous ordeal marked by detention, interrogation and mistreatment.
Gaza’s Crossings and Borders Authority confirmed Thursday evening that Israeli forces detained Shukri Nihad Kamel Ghazal, Mohammed Raed Munir al-Najjar and Mohammed Kamal Kamel Aqila.
Their whereabouts remain unknown, with authorities providing no details about the circumstances of their arrests or the locations where they are being held.
The arrests come as Rafah crossing, Gaza’s main land gateway to Egypt, continues to operate intermittently under severe restrictions and complicated security procedures.
For Palestinians desperate to reunite with their families after months of displacement and separation, human rights organizations warn that even obtaining official permission to return does not guarantee safe passage.
Seven Palestinians Arrested Despite Travel Procedures
The latest arrests follow warnings from Palestinian human rights organizations about the detention of travelers who had already secured the necessary approvals to cross.
In an October 21 statement, the Al-Dameer Association for Human Rights documented the arrests of seven Palestinians attempting to leave or return to Gaza, including two women, one of whom has cancer.
The organization raised serious concerns about the detainees’ fate, noting that the whereabouts of some remain unknown and that the reasons for their arrests have not been disclosed.
Al-Dameer warned that prior travel authorization must not become a means of luring Palestinians into detention without legal safeguards.
It stressed that such practices threaten Palestinians’ right to return home and their freedom of movement.
The organization demanded that the International Committee of the Red Cross be granted access to the detainees to verify their locations and detention conditions.
Humiliating Searches, Threats and Confiscation
Human rights organizations say the dangers facing returning Palestinians extend far beyond arrest.
The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights warned that the crossing’s system of advance approvals, extensive searches and strict security checks exposes travelers to humiliation, intimidation and arbitrary detention.
The UN Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territory has also documented testimonies from Palestinians returning to Gaza who described threats, mistreatment, humiliating searches and prolonged interrogations.
Some returning residents reported having their money, personal belongings, medications and medical supplies confiscated.
These accounts have heightened concerns that Palestinians seeking to return to their homes are being exposed to further hardship at a time when Gaza’s population is already enduring devastating humanitarian conditions.
Rights Groups Demand Protection for Returning Palestinians
Al-Dameer called on the international community, ceasefire mediators and guarantors of the agreement to intervene urgently to stop arbitrary arrests at border crossings.
The organization demanded the immediate disclosure of detainees’ whereabouts, guarantees against mistreatment and respect for the fundamental rights of Palestinian civilians.
It also urged international actors to ensure that Palestinians can travel and return to Gaza without facing detention, intimidation or degrading treatment.
For Palestinians seeking nothing more than to return to their families and homes, the latest arrests have deepened fears that Rafah crossing is becoming a place of detention rather than a safe passage home.
