mezan- 16 April 2024

Gaza, — M. S., a 34-year-old married man and father of four, resides on Market Street in Beit Lahiya, in the North Gaza District. Following the Israeli military's order for over one million civilians in northern Gaza to evacuate their homes towards areas south of Wadi Gaza, M. S. made the decision to evacuate with his family on the morning of Monday, 20 November 2023.

On their journey southward, just a few meters before reaching Wadi Gaza, M.S. and his family were stopped by Israeli forces. He was taken away and detained. Once released, in early February, he recounted his experience to Al Mezan fieldworkers:

“As we approached Wadi Gaza, we encountered a large Israeli military presence on the road. An Israeli soldier ordered me to show my ID, which I did. He then searched me and forced me to remove my clothes. He tightly bound my wrists with a plastic tie; it was very cold.

Then another soldier led me behind a sand dune and gave me a lightweight t-shirt and trousers to wear. He forced me to sit on the ground and punched me on various parts of my body, insulting me with abusive language. This continued intermittently for approximately four hours. I then heard sounds of beating beside me, which appeared to be other detainees being subjected to the same treatment. Then they blindfolded me and transported me in a vehicle for about an hour.

After that they pulled me out of the vehicle and led me on foot. From under the blindfold, I saw that I was taken into a room. A soldier handed me a light blanket, and I remained there but was not able to sleep that day due to the intense cold.

At around 5:00 am the next day, I was forced to sit on the ground, and they provided me with a paltry amount of food. I remained there for approximately 24 days without being interrogated.

At the end of that time, I was interrogated for about an hour, during which time the soldier punched me on various parts of my body, particularly my chest and face. The investigator inquired about missile launch locations and Hamas activity, but I had no knowledge of either. The next day, they forced me to sign a statement and then transported me by bus with a group of other detainees. We traveled for about half an hour, then I was taken to a location where about six soldiers assaulted me for about 15 minutes, punching and kicking me on various parts of my body. One of them kicked me in the face, causing severe pain in my right jaw. Later, they brought me to a doctor but I did not receive any treatment.

Then they transferred me by bus to the Negev prison, where I was held in a room and beaten for around 15 minutes. This treatment lasted about 12 days, during which time I did not see sunlight, was forced to shower in and drink from unclean water, and slept on tiles on the floor.

After that they put me in a tent, where I stayed for nearly 18 days. Then one day, at around 3:00 a.m. they transported me by bus with others for about four hours until we arrived at the Karem Abu Salem crossing, where I was released alongside approximately 150 other detainees.

We were instructed to run, not to walk, under threat of being shot if we disobeyed. Once we entered the Palestinian territories east of Rafah, we were received by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), who provided us with blankets and food. I then began looking for my family, whom I had left behind when I was detained. They had sought refuge in a tent in the Tal Al-Sultan area west of Rafah Governorate. However, it was only then that my real journey of hardship began, as I had to set about searching for scarce food and water for my family."