'They spat in my face': Palestinians describe abuse at Gaza crossings

AI Summary

Palestinians with approved permits face systematic detention, interrogations, and abuse by Israeli forces at Gaza border crossings. The story of Mahmoud al-Najjar highlights the personal toll, including the impact of family losses due to Israeli bombardments and the disruption of academic and travel plans.

'They spat in my face': Palestinians describe abuse at Gaza crossings Nada Nabil on Tue, 06/23/2026 - 11:07 Travellers with approved permits report systematic detention, interrogations and torture by Israeli forces at key crossings An Israeli soldier stands next to a truck at Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing between southern Israel and the Gaza Strip, 27 July 2025 (Carlos Reyes/AFP) Off Mahmoud al-Najjar, 38, believed securing an Italian scholarship would mark a new beginning after losing everything during Israel's genocide in Gaza. His hopes were shattered at the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing in early June, when Israeli forces detained and interrogated him before all contact was cut off. Al-Najjar's colleagues, who had been travelling on a trip coordinated by the Italian embassy, left without him and later informed his family of his arrest. "After we said goodbye to Mahmoud and felt happiness that he was starting a new journey, we were shocked to read the news of his arrest across social media platforms," his brother Attia al-Najjar, 28, told Middle East Eye. "It was very harsh to find out about his arrest and disappearance while browsing social media, without receiving any official notification." (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Attia, the youngest brother, tried every means to reach the family of the student who had witnessed the arrest and leaked news of it to online groups. "We finally contacted the family of our brother's colleague, who conveyed the details. Their son saw my brother being arrested and taken for interrogation while he himself was being interrogated before being released," Attia said. Al-Najjar's family had seen the scholarship as a crucial opportunity to rebuild after devastating losses. In an Israeli bombardment on their Jabalia home in October 2024, al-Najjar lost his father, eldest brother, wife and all four children. During the war, Mahmoud had tried to overcome his grief by completing a master's degree in international economics and publishing scientific research papers. "Mahmoud put a great deal of effort into obtaining this scholarship. He spent months filling out applications, certifying official documents, and went through several interviews until he won a place at Rome Tor Vergata University," Attia said. 'We never expected this to happen, especially since he had obtained travel clearance from the Israeli side' - Attia al-Najjar "My brother is not an ordinary person; he holds a bachelor's degree in engineering, another in mathematics, and a PhD in management and international economics." But al-Najjar's academic journey was halted when Israeli forces arrested him without informing his family of his fate, health or whereabouts, leaving them in acute anxiety. "We never expected this to happen, especially since he had obtained travel clearance from the Israeli side," Attia added. Hundreds of students have travelled through the Karem Abu Salem and Rafah crossings since both partially reopened under the October 2025 Gaza ceasefire agreement. Since Rafah's partial reopening, however, Israeli authorities have allowed only around 7,000 of 19,600 applicants - mostly patients and the wounded - to travel, following security screening, according to Gaza's government media office. No official figures exist for those travelling through Karem Abu Salem. Meanwhile, only around 1,500 people have been allowed to return to Gaza through Rafah, amid severe movement restrictions into the Strip. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The al-Najjar family's fears have grown alongside testimonies from other travellers describing torture and prolonged interrogations at the crossings. "We contacted the Red Cross and Addameer to find out my brother's fate, but unfortunately they could not obtain any news," Attia told MEE. The family did receive a call from Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights confirming Mahmoud was being held in Ashkelon prison and was banned from receiving visits until 15 June. But after that date passed, no human rights organisation was able to reach him. "Even after the specified date, no human rights organisation could visit him to reassure us. My mother is in a difficult health condition due to anxiety, especially after losing my father and eldest brother in the bombardment, and with two of my brothers currently in Israeli prisons after being arrested during a military operation in our displacement area during the war," Attia said. Fears of speaking out Middle East Eye attempted to speak to the family of the student who witnessed the arrest, but they declined, citing fears for their lives and for their son abroad. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); That family is not alone. The majority of students who were interrogated or subjected to abuse have refused to speak about their experiences, even under pseudonyms. 'Many students have gone through this humil