The UN Human Rights Office for the Occupied Palestinian Territory expresses its deep concern at the growing reports of ill-treatment, violence and confiscation of property against Palestinians attempting to return to Gaza.
The incidents, which occur mainly at the Kerem Abu Salem crossing (and previously at Rafah), involve Israeli soldiers and other armed individuals acting under the authority of the occupying power.
Physical abuse and humiliation
The testimonies collected between July 7 and August 4, 2026, describe exhausting and prolonged return journeys, during which hundreds of people claim to have suffered physical violence, threats, intrusive searches, and humiliating inspections.
In just one day in July, 54 out of 92 returnees reported the confiscation of some or all of their belongings, including medicines, assistive devices, identity documents, educational degrees, and cash.
One of the most serious documented cases occurred in early August, when an elderly man was beaten and handcuffed by Israeli soldiers after protesting the theft of money from his luggage. According to the account, they dragged him along the floor, locked him in a small room, and then put him on a bus without any explanation.
Humiliation of women and child vulnerability
Two women traveling together reported being separated and taken to a secure area, where an Israeli soldier subjected them to an intrusive body search. During the procedure, they were forced to undress while being filmed by security cameras. The incident was triggered when a metal collar worn by one of the women was activated by a metal detector archway.
Children also face additional risks. A four-year-old girl arrived in Gaza alone after her father was denied entry . Humanitarian organizations had to initiate a family tracing process to reunite her with her mother and uncle.
A pattern of violations and dehumanization
Ajith Sunghay, the UN's chief human rights officer in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, described these acts as "part of a broader pattern of violations and dehumanization" that is deterring Palestinians from returning to their homes.
"These are vulnerable people returning to their occupied land, devastated by years of Israeli bombing and deprived of the most basic necessities," Sunghay declared, adding: "And now they have to endure this upon their return? It's simply abhorrent ."
The UN agency noted that these allegations are consistent with previously documented violations at border crossings, where returnees described verbal abuse, intimidation, interrogation, and systematic theft from their luggage. To date, no mechanism has been reported for victims to recover their confiscated belongings.
Parental alienation to silence mothers
This systematic humiliation at border crossings is not an isolated incident, but rather part of a broader pattern of human rights violations that specifically affects Palestinian women and children.
The UN Special Rapporteur* on violence against women, Reem Alsalem, denounced that mothers who report domestic violence, child abuse or sexual abuse are often discredited through the application of the discredited and harmful theory of "parental alienation", resulting in the separation of children from their protective parent and the forced maintenance of contact with the alleged abuser.
“The information I’ve received suggests that mothers who seek to protect their children from violence, including sexual violence, are too often disbelieved and portrayed as unstable or manipulative,” Alsalem stated. “At the same time, serious allegations of abuse are minimized or ignored.”
According to credible testimonies from 18 Israeli mothers, allegations of domestic violence, child sexual abuse, substance abuse, and other serious protection issues are not consistently treated as decisive factors in custody and visitation decisions by family court judges. In several cases, the mothers reported being threatened with loss of custody or institutionalization of their children if they continued to report the abuse.
The rapporteur expressed particular concern that children who disclosed violence, expressed fear towards a parent or showed indicators of trauma were also disbelieved, forced to maintain contact with the alleged abusers and subjected to "reunification therapy".
"They should never be used to silence complaints"
"The consequences are immense, resulting in protective mothers being threatened and punished, even with the loss of custody of their children, which seriously violates the child's rights," Alsalem stated.
"Accusations of parental alienation should never be used as a weapon to silence reports of violence or to divert attention from the duty to investigate allegations of abuse thoroughly and impartially. The safety, dignity, and rights of mothers and children must be paramount."
The expert reiterated her previous calls to the Israeli government and family courts to repeal laws and policies that rely on the discredited concept of parental alienation to undermine legitimate concerns for the protection of women, thereby jeopardizing access to justice for both mothers and their children, as well as their protection and freedom from violence.
Alsalem recalled the obligation of States to modify legal or customary practices that sustain the persistence and tolerance of violence against women, and to place the best interests of the child at the center of all processes that affect them.
"Children must be heard and reports of abuse must be taken seriously, and mothers should never be punished for wanting to protect their children," she concluded.
*Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts, and Working Groups are independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council . Collectively, these experts are referred to as the “Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council .” Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff members and do not receive a salary for their work. While the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) acts as the secretariat for the Special Procedures, the experts serve in their individual capacity and are independent of any government or organization, including the OHCHR and the UN. The opinions or views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the UN or the OHCHR.