Gazan workers who have been recently expelled from Israel have accused the Israeli authorities of physical abuse and multiple human rights violations during their recent deportation.
It was reported that over a hundred Gazan workers, mostly working in the agricultural sector, had been expelled as part of the Israeli government’s policy of preventing Gaza residents from working in Israel.
The workers have spoken out against their treatment while at the Ben Gurion airport, including being stripped of their passport and being subjected to physical and verbal abuse during questioning.
The accusations are not new, as human rights organizations have long reported violations of Gazan workers returns, but the recent accounts of those who were expelled has surfaced the situation on a whole new level.
Among those expelled at Ben Gurion were young men and women looking to make a living, which makes their expulsion even more devastating for the Gazan community.
The expelled workers have since published an open letter to the international community, detailing the physical and verbal attacks with which Palestinians have been met when returning to Gaza.
The letter is a stark reminder of the mistreatment of Palestinians in the region, and sparks renewed calls for justice and protection of human rights.
The United Nations have condemned the Israeli government for their mistreatment of Palestinians, and has called on them to take appropriate steps to ensure that future deportees are treated in a respectful and non-threatening manner.
It is clear that the expulsion of Gazan workers is illegal by international standards, and only serves to undermine the peace process.
For the Gazan workers, their expulsion is more than just an inconvenience – it is an affront to their basic human rights, and to their right to live with dignity and respect. The world must take action to ensure that these clear violations of international standards are stopped, and that rights of the expelled workers are restored.