For the third consecutive day, Palestinians returning to Gaza through the newly reopened Rafah crossing have reported a consistent pattern of ill-treatment, abuse, and humiliation by Israeli military forces, warned the United Nations.

According to a press release by the UN Palestine office, Palestinian returnees reported to the UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory being escorted after crossing by armed Palestinians allegedly backed by the Israeli military, to an Israeli military checkpoint.

Consistent accounts indicate that some of these armed Palestinians handcuffed and blindfolded returnees, conducted searches, threatened and intimidated, and stole personal belongings and money.

Upon arrival at the Israeli checkpoint, returnees described a pattern of violence, degrading interrogations, and invasive body searches, in some cases while blindfolded and handcuffed.  They also reported that soldiers denied them access to medical care when needed, and access to bathrooms, resulting in extreme humiliation, including being forced to urinate in public.

Several returnees said they were asked whether they would accept money to return to Egypt with their families and never return. Some said that they were offered money to become informants for the Israeli military.

The UN said that taken together, these accounts point to a pattern of conduct that violates Palestinians’ rights to personal security, dignity, and freedom from torture, ill-treatment, and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.

“The reported pattern of conduct towards returnees raises serious concerns of coercion, discouraging Palestinians from exercising their right to return to areas they were forced to leave, further contributing to the ethnic cleansing of Gaza”, it added.

“The international community has a responsibility to ensure that all measures affecting Gaza strictly comply with international law and fully respect Palestinians’ human rights,” said Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN Human Rights Office in the OPT. “After two years of utter devastation, being able to return to their families and what remains of their homes in safety and dignity is the bare minimum.”