Israel Deports Thousands to Gaza, Workers Report Abuse and Ankle IDs

Photo: Palestinian workers returning to Gaza after being deported by Israel. Photo credit: IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA/REUTERS

Israel deported thousands of Palestinian workers back to Gaza on 3 November after weeks of detention amid its war on the Strip. Workers interviewed by various media outlets reported abuse at the hands of Israeli authorities.

“Men of all ages with no phones, money, or identity cards” were seen walking for two kilometers across the border and passing through the Kerem Shalom crossing into the besieged Palestinian territory on the morning of 3 November, according to a Guardian reporter in Rafah.

Mansour Warsh Agha, 61, a date farmer in Israel, was killed and returned to his family in a body bag, reported the Associated Press (AP).

Workers said they experienced a “massive roundup” and imprisonment, facing physical and psychological abuse and torture, according to AP, who reported workers in military prisons being “blindfolded, interrogated, beaten repeatedly and deprived of water and food for extended periods.”

Wael al-Sajda, one of the workers interviewed by AP, pointed to his ankle identification bracelet and said that the workers “were treated like livestock.”

Israeli forces stole 10,000 shekels (EGP 77,700) and two mobile phones from one worker, Mada Masr reported.

The exact number of those deported to the warzone remains undetermined, but it is said to be in the several thousands.

The Conflict So Far

After a surprise attack conducted on 7 October by Hamas on a number of southern Israeli towns which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1,405 people and more than 220 being taken hostage by Hamas, Israel launched a retaliatory bombing campaign against what it describes as ‘terrorist targets’ in the Gaza Strip.

At least 9,488 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip — including 3,900 children — and over 24,158 others injured. Meanwhile over 144 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and around 2,200 have been injured.

The priority of the Egyptian government since the beginning of the conflict has been deescalation and the securing of a path for aid to enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing. Israel bombed the crossing at least six times, and 80 aid trucks have crossed to Gaza so far, which UN officials warn is insufficient amid dire humanitarian conditions.

Most Western countries, with the United States at the forefront, have expressed unconditional support for Israel, despite the steadily rising death toll in Gaza. Meanwhile, the United Nations General Assembly has issued a resolution calling for a ceasefire.