DaysofPal- Freedom of movement in the Gaza Strip has increasingly been used as a means of control and collective punishment, with the Rafah crossing playing a central role in restricting civilian life, according to a report published by Al Jazeera English.
The report documents how Israeli occupation forces (IOF) use restrictions on Rafah crossing as an instrument of collective punishment against Gazans following the start of the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, evolving into a tightly enforced system governing who may enter or leave the territory, in what numbers, and which goods are allowed to pass.
Border crossings, once presented as temporary security measures, have become a permanent mechanism shaping daily life and survival in Gaza.
A major shift occurred on May 7, 2024, when Israeli forces announced control over the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, effectively cutting off a key route for humanitarian aid and medical evacuations.
In the weeks that followed, aid trucks were reported stranded at the border, food supplies spoiled, and the crossing remained largely closed during a period of acute humanitarian need.
The report describes how the Israeli occupation imposed near-total control over movement through numerical quotas, name-based approvals, and multilayered permit procedures.
These measures had immediate effects on food supply chains, humanitarian operations, medical evacuations, and family reunification.
After Rafah’s closure, Israel selectively allowed limited aid and a small number of patients and humanitarian workers to enter or exit Gaza through alternative crossings, primarily Kerem Shalom.
However, the report notes that this arrangement failed to provide consistent humanitarian access, instead creating an unstable system tied to shifting military conditions.
Movement restrictions also extended within Gaza itself, with entire areas isolated from services and supplies.
Humanitarian convoys were subjected to “mandatory coordination,” requiring Israeli military approval even after aid entered the Strip.
Data from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) shows that hundreds of aid missions were delayed, obstructed, canceled, or denied altogether.
According to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, these practices amount to a systematic policy in which control over movement is used as a tool of siege, coercion, and collective punishment, rather than a set of temporary security measures.
Medical evacuations were among the most severely affected. Following Rafah’s closure, patients were required to undergo a complex process involving internal transfers, transport to Kerem Shalom, and additional Israeli security permits.
Between May 8, 2024, and January 18, 2025, only 459 patients were evacuated via Kerem Shalom.
During a subsequent ceasefire period, when Rafah was partially reopened, evacuations increased to 1,702 patients before declining again once reliance on Kerem Shalom resumed.
The World Health Organization estimates that more than 18,500 patients in Gaza still require urgent medical treatment abroad.
Human rights groups report that more than 1,600 Palestinians died while waiting for permission to leave, describing the movement restrictions as among the most serious violations during the war.
Although Rafah was partially reopened earlier this month, the report says the situation has not fundamentally changed.
On February 2, the World Health Organization announced the evacuation of only five patients and seven companions.
Crossing procedures remain subject to strict numerical limits, Israeli security clearance, European inspection at Rafah, and additional screening in corridors controlled by the Israeli military.
International institutions have also highlighted the broader economic and social consequences of the restrictions.
The World Bank and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report that the blockade has devastated Gaza’s economy, driven poverty and unemployment to record levels, and made sustainable recovery impossible.
The report further notes that Israel continues to enforce a policy separating Gaza from the occupied West Bank, despite international law recognizing them as a single territorial unit.
UN experts and rights organizations say this separation has fractured families and limited access to education, employment, and healthcare.
While Rafah’s partial reopening last week allowed a limited number of crossings, the report says tens of thousands of Palestinians, many of them critically ill or wounded, remain stranded in Gaza, with access to life-saving assistance still severely restricted.
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