Palestinian women recount ‘journey of horror’ at Gaza’s Rafah crossing

A returnee told Al Jazeera that during an ordeal with the Israeli military on Monday they were permitted to keep only one bag with food and drinks, and that the army called her mother first and took her away. Palestinian women who returned to Gaza through the reopened Rafah crossing from Egypt described a “journey of horror,” saying Israeli forces at the crossing separated them from their children, handcuffed and blindfolded them, and subjected them to hours of threatening interrogation. Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim Al Khalili, reporting from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, said only 12 Palestinians (women and children) were allowed to enter that day and were subjected to harsh security procedures by the Israeli military, which controls when and if people may return. Returnees described the trip as long, exhausting and filled with fear and uncertainty, with one saying, “They took everything from us.” Women who crossed from Gaza at Rafah described being blindfolded, handcuffed and subjected to hours of psychological and political interrogation by Israeli forces, who allegedly threatened detention and tried to pressure them to separate from their children or go into exile. Reuters reported accounts from three women; one said after the interrogations they were handed to the UN and taken to Nasser Hospital to be reunited with family. Although Israeli officials had said 50 Palestinians would be allowed to travel daily in each direction, only 12 people (three women and nine children) got through on Monday, and just five patients with seven relatives had cleared inspections that day; a further 16 patients crossed on Tuesday. Journalists and officials said processing at Rafah is taking far longer than expected and offered no explanation, while roughly 20,000 Gazans remain waiting for urgent medical treatment abroad.