The Geneva Council for Rights and Liberties expresses its deep shock over the testimonies revealing coercive labor conditions and blatant violations endured by dozens of Palestinian workers. These individuals are reportedly forced to work under conditions resembling modern slavery, supervised by the “Sons of Mohsen Al-Khazendar” company in areas under Israeli military control west of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
According to verified information received by the Council, the workers are compelled to perform exhausting and degrading tasks, including:
• Organizing and loading aid boxes
• Serving American mercenaries and handling their luggage
• Undergoing humiliating body searches by Israeli soldiers
These workers are confined in sealed caravans within a militarized zone, with severe restrictions on movement and communication with the outside world. Their dignity is traded for a single daily meal and a limited supply of cigarettes, with no consistent wages or legal protection.
Labor is organized on a weekly rotational basis, where each group is replaced by another from Gaza. All workers are forced to remain out of public sight and are threatened by their employers with the loss of rights or social shaming if they speak out.
The Council has documented the testimony of Mohammed Al-Najjar, who reported being physically assaulted by a supervisor and threatened with dismissal. He stated:
“I have no other source of income. I’m working here because I need to feed my four children.”
What is happening constitutes a flagrant violation of all legal and humanitarian norms and falls within the scope of forced labor, which is strictly prohibited under international law.
Accordingly, the Geneva Council for Rights and Liberties calls for:
1. An immediate halt to these abusive practices and legal accountability for the company
2. An independent international investigation into the working conditions and exploitation at these sites
3. Legal and humanitarian protection for Palestinian workers
4. Prosecution of anyone found complicit in the coercion or exploitation of laborers
The Council urges international organizations, human rights bodies, and the media to shine a light on this grave issue and ensure that those responsible do not escape justice.
