DaysofPal – Palestinians returning to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah land crossing report that Israeli occupation authorities are confiscating their personal belongings during rigorous inspection procedures, including mobile phones and gold jewelry.
Several returnees told Al Jazeera that the searches and restrictions imposed on travelers resulted in the seizure of valuable personal possessions, with some saying they lost items they had carried with them throughout their journey.
One returning traveler recounted that Israeli occupation authorities confiscated three suitcases, an iPhone, and his daughter’s gold wedding jewelry.
“They took three of our bags, an iPhone, and my daughter’s wedding gold set, which included five bracelets, a necklace, a ring, and a wedding band,” he said.
Another woman recounted similar losses, saying many female travelers had their jewelry stolen in addition to their mobile phones.
“They took our phones, and there was gold and many other things that disappeared. More than ten women had their gold confiscated,” she said.
A third woman said the inspections spared no one.
“They didn’t leave a single mobile phone. They also took a gold necklace and rings belonging to my son’s wife. These were personal belongings that she traveled with to Egypt and brought back with her,” she said.
A young girl who returned to Gaza said travelers were caught off guard after being informed that bringing gold through the crossing was prohibited.
“They told us that gold was forbidden. We should have been informed of this decision in advance. Had we known, we would have left it behind in Egypt instead of bringing it back and having it confiscated,” she said.
The complaints come as Palestinians continue to face severe humanitarian hardship and strict restrictions on travel to and from the Gaza Strip. The reported confiscations have prompted calls from residents and rights advocates for immediate action to halt the unlawful seizure of travelers’ personal property.
Under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement that entered into force on October 10, 2025, Israeli occupation authorities were expected to fully reopen the Rafah crossing without restrictions. However, Palestinian officials say Israel has failed to fulfill that commitment.
Palestinian Crossings Authority figures revealed that movement through the Rafah crossing resumed on February 2, 2026. Between that date and June 11, a total of 3,516 people departed Gaza through the crossing, while 2,701 Palestinians returned to the enclave during the same period.
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