Thousands of Palestinian Gaza workers were expelled to occupied West Bank by Israel

Thousands of Palestinian workers from the Gaza Strip have been trapped in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of Israel's new war on Gaza after 7 October. The workers were forced by Israeli authorities to leave the 1948 territories to the occupied West Bank shortly after Hamas's unprecedented surprise attack that day.

The number of Palestinian workers from Gaza expelled to the occupied West Bank is still unknown. On Monday, 16 October, the Union of Arab Workers in Israel demanded that Israeli authorities give information about an estimated 18 thousand Gazans working in Israel when the escalation started.

Around 2,600 Gazan workers arrived at the central occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, where they have been housed in municipal and civil society facilities.

At the Ramallah First Scout Troupe's social and sports centre, The New Arab met several workers who had just arrived and asked not to be photographed.

Workers from Gaza who had Israeli working permits have been kicked out from their job with no wages, beaten up & had their money and phones stolen & left stranded at the military checkpoints, hundreds made it to Ramallah where they are being taken care by the residents. pic.twitter.com/uy7iuS7HmD

— Zaid 🧉 (@ZaidAmali) October 10, 2023

"I was working in the city of Lod in a supermarket, and I had been there for almost two weeks when the events started", 47-year-old Abu Luaim told The New Arab. "I was one of the lucky ones to have a working permit in the 1948 territories, and I was doing just fine."

"But then my boss told me that the government decided that no more workers from Gaza were allowed to stay, and since the Erez checkpoint was not functioning since the beginning of the events, we had no choice but to go to the West Bank", Abu Luai said.

"Several workers organised and hired a bus that took us to the Beit Sira checkpoint, from where we took public transportation to Ramallah, where we heard that there were institutions receiving us", he said. 

"Since I arrived, I have been taken care of, as the people here provided us with clean clothes, food, and mattresses to sleep, but we don't know for how long we are going to stay", he added. "I contacted my family twice since I arrived, and they are all fine but were forced to leave the house. I am worried that soon we will not be able to have contact since they have no electricity".

Arab Workers Union in Nazareth calls the Israeli authorities to reveal the fate of 18,000 workers from Gaza whose traces have been lost in Israel, amid information confirming the opening of detention camps for workers near Ramallah.https://t.co/O3QnNaJMZ9 pic.twitter.com/CZPohE5Xph

— ETUN PALESTINE (@EtunPalestine) October 17, 2023

Other workers report being mistreated and physically abused by Israeli authorities before being forcibly transferred to the occupied West Bank.

"I was working near Ramleh in construction, and I had been working there, on and off, for a year and a half", a 51-year-old worker who asked not to be named, said to TNA.

"On Sunday night, Israeli police came to the apartment that several workers shared and told the workers to leave for the West Bank, but I wasn't in the apartment. Most workers left, but I and some others stayed," he said. "On Monday morning, the Israeli police came and arrested us. They took me to a police station in the same area of Ramleh, and I was beaten randomly during the arrest and the transfer to the police station".

Palestinian Workers Caught Between Conflict Zones, Yearning for Home.#PalestinianWorkers #Gaza #IsraelHamasWar #Ramallah #AlBireh pic.twitter.com/8MiWd2PLY8

— Kasturi Chakraborty (@journokc) October 11, 2023

"After that, they took me to Rishon Lezion police station and interrogated me", he continued. "They asked me if I was happy about what Hamas did, and they told me that they were going to destroy Gaza, but I kept saying that I was legally working in Israel with a permit given by them and had nothing to do with what was happening." 

"They also told me that I was going to be a prisoner in exchange for the hostages that Hamas took, so when they transferred me the next morning, I thought I was going to prison, but they actually threw me at the Qalandia checkpoint, after they threw my things on the floor." 

"They had beaten me so much that I couldn't stand, and people at the checkpoint helped me to the public transportation, who drove me to Ramallah", he added.

Upon arrival, the worker was informed that Israeli bombings on Jabalia killed six family members, including his brother and three nephews.

Hundreds of Palestinian workers from Gaza employed in Israel have been arriving in West Bank cities, esp. Ramallah, dazed, without belongings or money, & desperate to join their families. Some have been beaten & mistreated by Israeli police/border guards. Read more below. pic.twitter.com/iOmQ8RrhV2

— DWRC Palestine (@DWRCPalestine) October 12, 2023

A spokesperson for the Ramallah municipality told TNA that around 2,600 Gazan workers have arrived in Ramallah since last week, and the number changes constantly.

"We have some 50 or 60 workers arriving and about the same number leaving on the same day, which makes it hard to keep a stable count", the spokesperson said.

"We, as a municipality, have provided two facilities to host the workers and some help in organising the aid, but the local community in Ramallah has been gathering the aid itself out of donations. Workers arrive in need of everything, including food, hygiene, a place to sleep, clothes, and some also need medical help", the spokesperson noted.

"The community, including families, churches and mosques and civil associations, have been providing most of these needs and volunteers to sort them in packages with our employees", they added. "After this help, the Palestinian Authority provides other places for the workers to stay as some were taken to Jericho, while others prefer to stay".

Some 200,000 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip usually work in the Israeli economy, meaning within Israel's 1948 boundaries or at illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Since last week, Israel has closed most checkpoints workers use, leaving thousands without access to their work.

At the same time, Israeli forces and settlers have killed some 70 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Israeli settlers have also completely displaced at least two Palestinian  communities near the Jordan Valley.

Around 3,500 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed by Israeli bombings on Gaza since 7 October.