Two Gazan women who passed through the newly reopened Rafah crossing into Egypt on Monday told the BBC that a Palestinian militia group linked to Israel conducted searches at an Israeli military checkpoint inside Gaza.
Lamia Rabia, travelling with her children, said Israeli forces escorted them from the border to a nearby checkpoint, where members of the Abu Shabab militia—also known as the Popular Forces—searched them and their belongings.
“There was a woman from the Abu Shabab group who conducted the searches on the women,” she told the BBC.
“They didn’t speak with us, they only searched us and then we went to the Israelis, who questioned us.
The Israelis and the Abu Shabab group were together at the same point.”
The BBC asked the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) about these claims and whether they were coordinating with a local militia, but the IDF said it could not comment. Israel’s Shin Bet security agency has also been contacted but has not responded.
The Abu Shabab militia, an anti-Hamas faction supported and armed by Israel, operates in Rafah under Israeli military oversight. Its leader, Ghassan al-Dheini, was quoted in Israeli media saying his unit would play “an important security role regarding entry and exit through the Rafah crossing.”
One of the women said the group identified themselves as Abu Shabab. Another, whose identity the BBC withheld for safety reasons, alleged mistreatment, claiming she was beaten, strip-searched, handcuffed, and verbally abused along with three other women. She added that the militia promised to help her travel to Europe if she cooperated. Rabia, however, described her experience as smooth and without problems.
The European Union, which has monitors at Rafah, is reportedly considering escorting new arrivals to the Israeli checkpoint after reports of harsh treatment. Both women also said EU officials confiscated many of their belongings.
“They took perfumes, accessories, make-up, cigarettes, headphones—everything, they didn’t leave anything with us,” one woman told the BBC.
“The Europeans took from us anything that was liquid, like a cough syrup,” Rabia added. “They also took from us perfumes, and make-up, as well as phones and power banks. Any toy with a remote-control was taken.”
Rabia also noted that travellers were limited to carrying $600 (£438) into Gaza. The BBC has sought comment from the EU Border Assistance Mission for Rafah (EUBAM) but has not received a reply.
Fifty patients were scheduled to return to Gaza from Egypt on Monday after medical treatment, but only 12 crossed despite prior security clearance. A Palestinian worker at Rafah said patients and relatives completed checks with Palestinian staff and EU monitors, but Israeli authorities later allowed only nine women and three children through, sending the rest back to Egypt without explanation.
Among those turned back were relatives of Awad Abu Talha, who waited all day for his cousins. Some had reached the Palestinian side before being returned due to what was described as a technical issue. His family eventually crossed on Tuesday.
The reopening has been marked by uncertainty. Israel’s liaison office for Gaza (Cogat) has not confirmed how many people crossed Monday. The World Health Organization reported that five patients and seven companions left Gaza for treatment, calling it “a start of a process” but noting that 18,500 Gazans still need evacuation.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said 16 patients and 40 companions left on Tuesday, but accused Israel of delaying procedures. Its spokesman, Raed al-Nims, urged international pressure to increase patient transfers.
The new Rafah mechanism bypasses Hamas, testing its authority in Gaza. On Monday, evacuees gathered near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, under Hamas’s health ministry. By Tuesday, Hamas officials and media representatives appeared at the medical point, intervening in preparations for evacuations.
These developments highlight the limited role of the newly formed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, designated under US President Donald Trump’s plan but absent from the evacuation process.
The reopening of Rafah marks the beginning of a difficult phase of that plan, which depends on Hamas’s disarmament, Israeli withdrawal, and the establishment of a new administration. The confusion and disputes surrounding Rafah serve as an early warning of the challenges ahead.
Leave a Reply