Ibtisam’s testimony
At the first checkpoint, we were ordered to raise our identity cards for photographing by a soldier, while tanks moved menacingly toward us. We continued on to the second, where the army separated men from women and instructed us to kneel. Then, an officer began to lecture us, blaming Hamas for our displacement, the destruction of our homes, our need to seek refuge, and the fear we are experiencing.
He then told us that in order to be allowed to pass through the checkpoint unharmed, we had to chant slogans against the resistance: “The people want the overthrow of Hamas,” and “God is sufficient for us, and he is the best disposer of affairs against Hamas and the Qassam Brigades” (appropriating a line from the Qur’an). The officer insisted on the repetition of these slogans; only after more than 45 minutes did the soldiers permit women and children to pass, while men were kept behind.
At the third checkpoint, a soldier told me that in order to proceed I must leave my bag behind — which contained all of my belongings, including blankets and clothes for my whole family. The soldier then told me to part with my children so they could pass through before me. I refused, fearing that I would lose them in the crowd, and he eventually allowed me to cross with them. Others lost their children and faced great distress while searching for them.