Hamas: Mistreatment of returnees at Rafah crossing fascist crime, attempt to deter people from returning

Hamas stated on Tuesday that the mistreatment, abuse, and deliberate extortion suffered by Palestinians returning to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing, particularly women and children, at the hands of the criminal Zionist enemy forces, constitutes fascist behavior and organized terrorism, falling within the framework of collective punishment policies.

The movement added, “Painful field testimonies have revealed degrading practices, including the abduction of women from among the travelers, blindfolding them, subjecting them to lengthy interrogations with irrelevant questions, threatening some with their children, and attempting to blackmail one of them into cooperating. This confirms that what is happening is not ‘crossing procedures,’ but rather systematic violations aimed at instilling fear and deterring people from returning to their homes.”

The movement called on international human rights organizations to document these grave crimes and violations committed against travelers returning to Gaza, and to file lawsuits before the relevant international and national courts to hold the enemy leaders accountable for these horrific crimes, which are part of the ongoing aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

It also called on the mediators and the countries guaranteeing the ceasefire agreement to take immediate action to stop these fascist practices, especially as the agreement enters its second phase, and to compel the enemy to open the Rafah crossing normally and without restrictions, and to guarantee the freedom and safety of travelers entering and leaving, in accordance with what the agreement stipulates.