Palestinian woman says returnees were blindfolded and questioned before reentry to Gaza at Rafah

Описание: (3 Feb 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Khan Younis, Gaza Strip - 2 February 2026
++NIGHT SHOTS++
1. Bus carrying Palestinians back from Egypt via Rafah crossing arriving at Nasser hospital
2. Various of relatives gathering near bus
3. Close of people in bus
4. Various of people getting off bus, being greeted by relatives
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Rotana Al-Regeb, returnee:
"The army took us and blindfolded us. They took me, my mother, and another woman - the three of us out of twelve people. They blindfolded us, tied our hands, and began questioning us about things we didn't know and had no connection to. We had nothing to do with anything they were asking us about.”
6. Various of people welcoming their relatives
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Rotana Al-Regeb, returnee:
"They didn't allow us to cross with anything. They emptied everything before letting us through. We were only allowed to take the clothes on our backs, and only one bag per person. The little girl asked him for her toy, but he refused, saying it’s not allowed, and took it from her.”
8. Various of people welcoming their relatives
9. Man carrying bags
10. Various of people outside Nasser hospital
STORYLINE:
A dozen Palestinian returnees were allowed into Gaza from Egypt late Monday night after the long-awaited reopening of the Rafah border crossing was marred by delays.

Their arrival came hours after a small group of medical evacuees were ferried into Egypt.

The reopening of the crossing is a key step in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire but mostly a symbolic one, with few people allowed to travel and no goods allowed to pass through.

The limitations were apparent Monday as crossings fell well short of the 50 people officials had said would be allowed to move in each direction.

Rotana Al-Regeb, who was on the bus of Palestinians returnees, said the Israeli army blindfolded and questioned her upon re-entry.

"They blindfolded us, tied our hands, and began questioning us about things we didn't know and had no connection to," she said.

About 20,000 Palestinian children and adults needing medical care hope to leave the devastated territory via the crossing, according to Gaza health officials.

Thousands of other Palestinians outside the territory hope to enter and return home.

The crossing had been closed since Israeli troops seized it in May 2024.

The number of travelers is expected to increase over time if the system is successful.

Israel has said it and Egypt will vet people for exit and entry.

Ambulances waited for hours at the border before ferrying patients into Egypt, the state-run Al-Qahera News satellite television channel showed.

Just before midnight, the bus arrived in Gaza carrying Palestinian returnees who had fled the fighting early in the war.

Before the war, Rafah was the main crossing for people moving in and out of Gaza.

The territory’s handful of other crossings are all shared with Israel.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, which went into effect in October, Israel’s military controls the area between the Rafah crossing and the zone where most Palestinians live.

Attacks continued across the coastal territory Monday.

Gaza hospital officials said an Israeli navy ship had fired on a tent camp, killing a 3-year-old Palestinian boy.

Israel’s military said it was looking into the incident.

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