Gaza Herald – A Gaza-based human rights center said Israeli authorities imposed sweeping restrictions on travel through the Rafah Crossing during its first day of limited reopening, effectively maintaining full Israeli control over movement in and out of the Gaza Strip. The center said the measures amounted to grave violations of freedom of movement and civilians’ basic rights.
According to the center, Israel directly controlled passenger lists and approved the travel of only five patients out of fifty, despite urgent medical cases, denying most patients their right to life-saving treatment guaranteed under international humanitarian and human rights law.
The group also condemned forcing travelers to pass through fenced corridors under constant surveillance, describing the process as systematic intimidation that caused severe psychological harm, particularly to women, the elderly, and the sick, and reinforced a policy of collective punishment.
It documented serious violations against returnees to Gaza, noting that only 12 people were allowed back, while several were detained, interrogated for hours, and subjected to humiliating questioning, including attempts to pressure them politically, in what it described as clear breaches of civilian protections.
The center held Israel fully responsible as the occupying power controlling the crossing, urging an immediate end to all restrictions, full and regular opening of Rafah, unimpeded travel for patients and civilians, and an end to what it called coercive and degrading practices incompatible with international law.
