A few hours after the reopening of the Rafah crossing, between Gaza and Egyptthe joy dissipated. this monday 150 Palestiniansincluding the wounded, sick and companions, had to leave the Palestinian enclave to receive medical treatment. In turn, a fifty Gazans they were preparing for return to the remains of their homes through that crossing that had been closed for almost two years. However, the Gaza Ministry of the Interior has confirmed that only eight Palestiniansincluding patients and companions, have managed to leave and barely a dozen have been able to return. They are three children and nine women, who have reported having been subjected to lengthy interrogations and harassment by Israeli forces and armed men before being able to re-enter Gaza.
The second day of reopening of the pass is filled with even greater uncertainty. A convoy of ambulances and buses transporting 45 patients and 90 companions is heading towards Rafah in the hope of being able to leave the enclave and be treated in foreign hospitalsas reported by the Palestinian Red Crescent. It is estimated that around 22,000 people injured and sick need urgent treatment abroad. Tarik Jasarvicspokesperson for the World Health Organizationhas insisted on the “opening of all crossings”, including those that can take patients to centers in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. “What we should really focus on now is rebuild the healthcare system of Gaza to not depend so much on evacuations,” he told Al Jazeera.
Those 12 people who have managed to return to the Strip have faced a long and humiliating processas they themselves have reported to the Qatari media. “The army caught us and they bandaged us eyes, they tied our hands and began to question us about things we didn’t know about,” he said. Rotana al Regeb in front of the cameras. “They didn’t allow us to cross with anything, they emptied everything before letting us pass,” he added, after meeting with his family. “The situation was very difficult and everywhere there were inspections; They searched all our belongings, especially at the Israeli checkpoint, and we ourselves were searched several times,” she said. Samira Said upon arrival.
Egyptian and Israeli approval
Both those who have been able to leave and those who have been able to return to Gaza have recounted the difficulty to carry out that process. Entering the enclave is more difficult than leaving it. Only the Gaza residents who left during the war are eligible to return, as are some representatives of the Palestinian Authority (AP) and a limited number of humanitarian workers. To access Gaza, they have to register their names, which Egypt will review and send to the Israeli internal security agency. Shin Bet to receive your approval. Travelers then enter a checkpoint managed by the PA and representatives of the European Union.
Finally, they have to go through several checkpoints Israelis to submit to body searchesx-ray examinations and biometric verification. Once surpassed, they can reach the areas of Gaza under Hamas control. Some of the women who returned this Monday have reported having also been intercepted by Israeli-backed militias near the city of Rafahin the south. In this area, completely devastated by Israeli military actions, the gangs actively operate under the cover of the Israeli Army and demand that returnees provide them with information about the armed factions in Gaza.
30 Palestinians returned to Egypt
To do the reverse process, however, priority is being given to a limited number of medical patients. Every wounded man can go accompanied by two people. Afterwards, it will be open to all travelers. The World Health Organization is in charge of transporting them to Rafah. The first two steps, of registering for Israeli and Egyptian approval and passing through the checkpoint under PA and EU control, are the same. Then, from a command center, Israeli officers use facial recognition and they open a door for passengers to leave the enclave and reach Egypt. Some of them will be treated in hospitals in the country of the pharaohs or will travel to european destinations who have agreed to treat them in their medical centers.
The Qatari channel Al Araby has announced that 30 of the 42 Palestinians who tried to return to the Strip on Monday through the Rafah crossing were prevented from entering and were returned to Egypt. Citing anonymous sources, the network claims that those who returned to Gaza were interrogated several times during their journey, including by armed and masked men who stopped them at a checkpoint 500 meters from the Rafah crossing. These individuals would have given to those returned to the troopswhere they were interrogated and their belongings were confiscated. While the reunion with their families forces them to pass several tolls of humiliation and long bureaucratic processesdeath is still present in Gaza. This Tuesday morning, Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian in the southern Khan Yunis.
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