Thousands of Palestinian workers who were detained by Israel when the war broke out were released Friday morning
NPR’s producer in Gaza, Anas Baba, was at the Rafah border crossing on Friday and saw throngs of Gaza laborers returning from detention.
One of the workers, Mahrous al-Semri, said they were "blindfolded and handcuffed."
"For two days, we slept on pebbles, unaware of what was happening, without food or water," he added.
Another worker, Wael al-Sajda, said the Israeli police "treated us like livestock." He showed an tag with an identification number on his ankle, which could be seen on many of the detained workers released on Friday.
The rights groups say the workers had their work permits revoked and any trace of their status wiped from their records, leaving them vulnerable and in legal limbo at a time when their families in Gaza are enduring Israel’s massive bombardment.
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