Gazan workers who were detained in Israel denounce torture: “We were handcuffed for days without water or food”

Hundreds of Gazans walk towards war in the Strip after spending days in detention. The conflict caught them working in Israeli territory and they were never allowed to return. “They arrested us without shoes, without a cell phone and without money until today,” says one man.

A tape on their wrists made it clear that they were no longer workers, but detainees. “I was in Nazareth working and they arrested me and took me to prison,” says another man. Now, the Gazans they denounce torture and humiliation: “We were handcuffed for days under the sun, without water or food“However, the worst thing for them has been feeling that they had abandoned their families in Gaza. That is why many are grateful to return now, even though their lives are at stake.

Nearly 150,000 Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza pass through checkpoints every day to enter Israeli territory. Israel doesn’t want them, says doctor Mohamed Odeh, but it needs them. “They have tried to replace them with workers from other countries, such as China, but it was very expensive,” says Odeh.

The Palestinians also need to work in Israeli territory, since their economy is completely suffocated, although They do it without rights and without insurance doctor. “If a Palestinian worker with a work permit in Israel falls at his workplace, the bill is paid by the Palestinian authority,” says the doctor.

Since the war began, no Palestinian has managed to enter Israeli territory until two days ago, when “almost 2,000 workers were allowed to enter.” The rest continue without being able to contribute anything to their families.