Authorized travelers report systematic detention, interrogation, and torture by Israeli forces at key crossings.
Gaza, occupied Palestine – Mahmoud al-Najjar, 38, thought a scholarship in Italy would be a new beginning for him after losing everything during Israel’s genocide in Gaza. His hopes were dashed in early June at the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing, where Israeli forces detained and interrogated him, and all contact with him was severed. His colleagues, with whom he had been traveling on a trip coordinated by the Italian embassy, left without him and later informed his family of his detention.
„After saying goodbye to Mahmoud and rejoicing that he was embarking on a new path, we were shocked by the news of his detention on social media,” his brother, 28-year-old Attia al-Najjar, told the Middle East Eye"It was very cruel to learn of his arrest and disappearance like this, without any official notification."„
The family saw the scholarship as a key opportunity to rebuild. In October 2024, an Israeli bombardment of their home in Jabalia killed al-Najjar’s father, eldest brother, wife and all four children. During the war, Mahmoud tried to cope with his grief by earning a master’s degree in international economics and publishing academic papers. „My brother is not an ordinary person; he has an engineering degree, a mathematics degree and a PhD in management and international economics,” Attia added.
„"We never expected this"”
Hundreds of students have traveled through the Karem Abu Salem and Rafah crossings since the Gaza ceasefire agreement of October 2025. According to the Gaza government press office, since the partial reopening of the Rafah crossing, Israeli authorities have only allowed about 7,000 of the 19,600 applicants – mostly the sick and wounded – to travel after security screening.
The family contacted the Red Cross and the human rights organization Addameer, but they were unable to provide any information. Although the Al Mezan Center confirmed that Mahmoud was being held in Ashkelon prison and was under a visitation ban until June 15, no human rights organization has been able to reach him since that date. „My mother’s health is critical due to the concern, especially after losing my father and brother, and since my two other siblings are also in Israeli prisons,” Attia said.
They are afraid to speak up.
Most students who were interrogated or abused are reluctant to speak about their experiences, even under pseudonyms, for fear of reprisals. One student, who gave the pseudonym Mohamed Ahmed, said he was fortunately left alone, but a colleague with a similar name was subjected to selective torture. „Even though he said he was not a journalist, they stripped him, beat him and humiliated him, just because he was named the same,” said Ahmed, who said his colleague has remained silent about the incident ever since, fearing reprisals against his family.
Lina al-Tawil, director of the Palestinian Center for the Protection of Detainees, said there have been reports of interrogations in which soldiers question travelers about the whereabouts of relatives, political affiliations and other details unrelated to their travel. In documented cases, travelers are handcuffed, blindfolded and humiliated, supporting accusations that Israel is using travel permits as a pretext to arrest Palestinians.
„"They kicked and punched me on the ground"”
Returning travelers face similar conditions. Abdel Rahim Abu Toaima, 39, who traveled to Egypt with his son for heart surgery, said he was subjected to inhumane treatment at the Rafah crossing.
„After I denied knowing the people they were asking about, one of the soldiers gave me a huge slap in the face. Then he punched me, mockingly said, ’I see you don’t know anyone,’ and called me a dog,” said Abu Toaima, who was paralyzed from a previous knee surgery. „After they beat me, they forced me to undress completely in front of female soldiers, disrespecting my privacy. They even took off my knee bandage, even though I could barely move.”
„They spat in my face, called me the most disgusting names, and made me stand in the heat for two hours. When I said I was tired, they only insulted me more.” His requests for water were denied. When he was finally released, his phone and electronic devices were taken. When he returned home to Khan Younis, he was shocked to find that his medicine and most of his clothes had been stolen from his suitcase.
„I left Gaza with an injured child and returned with a knee injury that has never healed, and the experience of a cruel interrogation whose pain I will never forget,” he concluded his report.
