After nearly five years away from his family in Gaza, Mohammed Othman believed he was finally going home. Instead, he disappeared after being taken into an interrogation room at the Rafah crossing.
Mr Othman, a man in his 40s from Gaza city, was arrested by Israeli forces on Monday while attempting to return from Egypt, in what officials and witnesses say is the first such detention since the crossing reopened last week.
The incident has raised concerns about the safety of travellers and the future operation of the crossing, a critical gateway for thousands of Palestinians seeking to return home or to leave the war-battered coastal strip for medical treatment abroad.
Mr Othman had accompanied his sick brother to Egypt for medical treatment two years before the war between Israel and Hamas began in Gaza, in October 2023. Like many Gazans stranded abroad as a result of the conflict and restrictions on border crossings, he had been waiting for permission to return.
The Rafah crossing was closed after Israel seized the Palestinian side in May 2024, and only reopened in early February as part of a ceasefire deal that came into effect in October last year. It was closed again after the US and Israel began attacking Iran on February 28.
According to a fellow traveller who asked not to be named, Mr Othman was filled with relief when they received approval to cross back into Gaza.
“He was very happy,” he told The National. “He hadn’t seen his family for almost five years.”
The group set out for Rafah and passed through the Palestinian side of the crossing and the European mission overseeing the operation of the crossing. Everything appeared routine, he said.
Then came an Israeli military checkpoint inside Gaza, about 300 metres from the crossing. Each traveller was questioned individually. When it was Mr Othman’s turn, he was taken aside for further interrogation.
“They kept him much longer than the rest of us,” his fellow traveller said. “Then they took him into a room, and he never came out.”
Hours passed. Other members of the group of returnees, along with the European mission staff, waited outside, expecting his release.
Instead, they were told he had been detained.
“After hours of waiting, we were informed that he had been arrested and transferred,” the traveller said. “No explanation was given.”
A staff member from the Crossings and Borders Authority affiliated with the Palestinian Authority said Mr Othman’s case represents a serious breach of the terms under which the body resumed operations.
“The crossing will not operate as usual today because of what happened,” the official told The National on Tuesday. “This arrest clearly breaches all the agreed terms.”
Under the established protocol, the names of all travellers are submitted in advance to Israeli authorities for security clearance. Mr Othman, like others on the list, had already received approval.
“That approval should have guaranteed his safe passage,” the official added. “What happened puts all travellers at risk.”
The European mission stationed at Rafah, tasked with helping ensure safe and orderly crossings, reportedly objected to the incident and has considered suspending its work.
“They have not stopped operations yet,” the official said, “but they have threatened to do so unless the issue is resolved and assurances are given that this will not happen again.”
Nahed Al Fakhouri, a spokesman of the Palestinian Prisoners Society, said the arrest marks a troubling precedent.
“This is the first recorded arrest since the crossing resumed work under the new mechanism,” he told The National.
“This violates all agreements related to reopening the crossing. The protocol clearly states that names are submitted in advance for security checks. He had already been approved.”
As of now, Mr Othman’s whereabouts remain unclear, and no official reason has been provided for his detention.
For those who travelled with him, the moment remains difficult to process.
“He was just hours away from seeing his family,” the traveller said. “After all those years, he thought he was finally going home.”
