Israel blackmails Gaza patients at Erez crossing

The Israeli authorities continue preventing, arresting and blackmailing Palestinian patients and their companions at Erez Crossing, the only land crossing for the movement of people between the Gaza Strip and Israel and the West Bank, Al-Mezan for Human Rights said on Tuesday.

In a statement, Al-Mezan said that the Israeli authorities controlling the crossing use it as a “trap” for Palestinians, noting that one patient and a patient’s companion were arrested in two separate incidents last week.

According to the statement, Al-Mezan documented the arrest of Gaza resident Tariq al-Haj, 41, while he was returning back to Gaza after his 30-month-old son had a surgical operation at one of the Israeli hospitals.

The human rights centre reiterated that this is a violation of international humanitarian law.