Query response 7 April 2020 Palestine: Suspicion of collaboration upon returning to the

– Is there any indication that a Palestinian who returns to the Gaza Strip could appear to be a collaborator with the Israeli authorities? – Would it matter if they return via () or Erez ()? – Would it matter if they return from neighbouring countries? – Could the length of the stay outside Gaza be significant? – Does it matter whether you sympathise with ? – What types of reactions could the person returning face from authorities? – What types of interrogation methods could they be subjected to? – Societal suspicions and reactions

Introduction This is an update of a query response that was published in 2018 on the same topic. Detailed information on what could lead Hamas to suspect collaboration is still difficult to access. However, Landinfo addressed this issue with some sources during a fact-finding trip to the and Gaza in October-November 2019. None of the sources consulted provided any significant new information about who could typically come under suspicion of collaboration with Israel upon returning to the Gaza Strip. However, we are updating this query response, as the issue is still relevant for the Norwegian immigration authorities.

Collaboration with Israel involves providing sensitive information or otherwise assisting Israeli authorities in a way that damage national security in Palestine (B’Tselem 2011). In Gaza, the charges also apply if the actions damage the de facto authorities, Hamas. Hamas also considers people who share information with the Palestinian Authority (PA) to be collaborators. This is a consequence of PA having a security cooperation with Israel.

Several sources indicate that Israel has pressured Palestinians to act as informants for many years (B’Tselem 2009; Omer 2014; Asad 2017; Greenwood 2017). Especially in the wake of wars and military conflicts with Israel in Gaza,

Palestinians have been arrested and killed by Hamas, or groups affiliated with Hamas, for spying or otherwise assisting Israel (B’Tselem 2011, 2014, 2020; Greenwood 2017; UN General Assembly 2015, p. 16–17).

The presentation below is based on reports from international organisations, including the UN, media reports and information from sources Landinfo consulted during and after the trip to Palestine in 2019. Most of the written source material is about collaboration with Israel in general and not specifically about collaboration upon returning to the Gaza Strip. However, it is precisely Palestinians who have been away for a period who typically come under suspicion. Many of them have been to places where the Israeli authorities have had easy access to them, such as prisons or hospitals. Gaza Palestinians who have crossed the border with Israel may also come under suspicion because they are dependent on permits from Israel.

Some of the presentation is also based on Landinfo’s own assessments. We rely on information we have gathered over time on how Hamas operates and acts towards potential security threats. In addition to the trip to Palestine in autumn 2019, Landinfo visited the West Bank and Gaza in October 2016. The political climate in Gaza was one of several topics on both trips.

Background – heavy restrictions on travel in and out of the Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip has been subject to an Israeli blockade for nearly 13 years as a result of Hamas taking full control of the area in June 2007 (OCHA 2020). The blockade involves heavy travel restrictions. There are two border crossings for entry and exit to the Gaza Strip: Erez/ to Israel in the north, and Rafah to Egypt in the south. Traffic across both borders is strictly regulated by both Israel and Egypt (OCHA 2020; Gisha n.d.a; Landinfo & Lifos 2017, p. 6). It is only upon entry or exit via Erez that Gaza Palestinians must have contact with the Israeli authorities.

Entry via Rafah is possible regardless of what border was crossed exiting Gaza (Gisha, meeting in Tel Aviv 2016). However, a person who left the Gaza Strip via Rafah cannot return via Erez, and this regulation is strictly enforced by Israel (Gisha, email April 2020). This is because in Israeli records it will still say that the person is staying in Gaza (Gisha, meeting 2016). If a person nevertheless should return via Erez after having left via Rafah, it must have been coordinated with the Israeli authorities. According to Gisha (email April 2020), this happens very rarely and only if there are special humanitarian reasons. According to Gisha, Israel has an extremely narrow definition of the term “humanitarian reasons”. The few people Gisha has managed to assist in getting Israeli coordination to travel

Query response Palestine: Suspicion of collaboration upon returning to the Gaza Strip LANDINFO – 7 APRIL 2020 – 2

into the Gaza Strip from Israel, have either had very sick or dying close relatives (first degree relatives).

The has been the only real way in and out of the Gaza Strip for the majority of the population. However, this border was closed more often than open during the period of 2014-2018. This is due to the unstable security situation on the and the poor relationship between the Egyptian regime and Hamas (Landinfo & Lifos 2017, p. 6). However, since May 2018, the Egyptian authorities have kept the border at Rafah open on a more regular basis (OCHA 2020). Still, only a limited number of people can cross the border per day.1

The Erez border crossing is also strictly regulated. No one can leave without advance permission from the Israeli authorities (OCHA 2020). This is the route Palestinians use to travel between the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem and the West Bank (Landinfo & Lifos 2017, p. 16; Greenwood 2017). However, as part of Israel’s declared separation policy between these areas, the border is closed to normal passenger traffic. The border crossing is mainly reserved for trips to the West Bank and Israel for the following people/purposes (Gisha n.d.a):

• patients, and their companions, receiving medical treatment on the West Bank or in Jerusalem and Israel • merchants • students with scholarships to study abroad, under certain strict conditions • public figures, including people with political office who are going to attend meetings/conferences on the West Bank or abroad • people with other humanitarian needs (see Landinfo & Lifos 2017, p. 15) • foreign diplomats, international press and international organisations with permission from the Israeli authorities

Despite the restrictions, there is some traffic across both border crossings. The Israeli NGO Gisha has a particular focus on Palestinians’ freedom of movement and maintains statistics on passenger traffic in and out of Gaza. Their figures indicate that there has been an increase in the number of border crossings throughout 2018 and 2019, both at Rafah and Erez. There has been a general increase in the number of so-called “merchants” over Erez throughout 2019. See Gisha (n.d.b) for specific figures per month.

1 See OCHA (n.d.) for detailed information on the number of people who cross the border and the number of days the border is open.

Query response Palestine: Suspicion of collaboration upon returning to the Gaza Strip LANDINFO – 7 APRIL 2020 – 3

Collaborators are a major challenge for Hamas For several years, Hamas has arrested and executed people they suspect of being informants for Israel (U.S. Department of State 2018, p. 75; UN Country Team in the Occupied Palestinian Territory 2017, p. 25; HRW 2018; B’Tselem 2011, 2014; PCHR 2018a, 2018b; OHCHR 2017; UNHCR 2018, p. 18). As of April 2018, 145 people were reportedly held in Internal Security custody for military prosecution for “security cases”, such as “collaboration with the occupation”. These are figures from Hamas’ own Ministry of the Interior (as published in HRW 2018, p. 50). Human Rights Watch documents specific cases both in Gaza and on the West Bank (HRW 2018).

In the autumn of 2016, the head of the Hamas-affiliated think tank House of Wisdom told Landinfo that Hamas is doing what it can to expose collaborators. He also pointed out that collaboration can lead to very severe penalties (including the death penalty) as a deterrent. Moreover, he stated that Fatah people are a particular concern for Hamas, because they believe the authorities on the West Bank are providing security-related information to the Israelis. He also emphasized that there are collaborators in Gaza who are directly recruited by Israel:

There are people working on the ground in Gaza who report to Ramallah who pass the information on to the Israelis who then bomb Gaza based on the information. Some of the people working on the ground in Gaza are working with Fatah people (sleeping cells) and some are collaborators recruited by the Israelis. The most damage is done by the latter. Those who worked in security before, well-educated persons with experience, will give important information (House of Wisdom, meeting in Gaza October 2016).

Can someone be suspected of collaboration based on returning from abroad? In general, Landinfo has no reason to believe that Palestinians who return to Gaza from abroad will be considered collaborators simply because they have been out of the area. There are too many people who travel in and out of the Gaza Strip for that. What really matters is

• who you are • why you were gone • whether you have been in close contact with Israelis other than at the border crossing • whether it appears as if you have received favourable treatment

Query response Palestine: Suspicion of collaboration upon returning to the Gaza Strip LANDINFO – 7 APRIL 2020 – 4

Hamas will be able to investigate this at its checkpoints on the Palestinian side of the border crossings. Everyone who travels into the Gaza Strip must go through an interview with Hamas’ security service at a checkpoint at the border. They may be asked questions about where they have been and what they have been doing (Landinfo & Lifos 2017, p. 17).

Landinfo has no detailed information about how these interviews are conducted. However, it can be assumed that Hamas will be particularly interested in people with a background from Fatah and the Palestinian security forces that operated in Gaza before Hamas took power in 2007. The reason is that they want to find out if they have been in contact with the Palestinian Authority on the West Bank (PA), which Hamas believes shares sensitive information about Gaza with Israel. If Hamas suspects a person, or previously had a person under surveillance, it must be assumed that they will try to find out what they were doing abroad and why they are returning. They will also try to find out more about the person’s network.

According to the representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on the West Bank (OHCHR, meeting in October 2019), the following groups are more often than others suspected of collaborating with Israeli authorities in Gaza:

• those who get a permit from Israel to travel in and out • those who have tried to flee Gaza by climbing over the fence to Israel • fishermen who have been arrested by Israel • those who have criticised Hamas

The representative explained that the first three groups may risk suspicion because they have had close contact with Israeli security authorities. The fourth group will always risk being in Hamas’ spotlight.

According to a report from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT 2017, p. 20), anyone who has spent time in Israel risks being seen as a potential collaborator, both by society and the authorities. This is especially true of those who have been in Israeli custody and those who are sentenced to unusually low penalties, because they are presumed to have been recruited as spies or collaborators. The likelihood of being suspected increases proportionate to how long and intense the contact with the Israeli authorities was, according to the Australian report. DFAT does not state what sources this is based on.

The Palestinian human rights organisation Al-Haq (email April 2020) also claims that Palestinians in Israeli prisons are often subjected to direct or indirect pressure to assist the Israeli authorities with information.

There is thus reason to assume that Hamas is watchful of Palestinians who return to Gaza. However, it is difficult for Landinfo to know who is actually arrested on suspicion of collaborating with Israel. We must assume that collaborators are

Query response Palestine: Suspicion of collaboration upon returning to the Gaza Strip LANDINFO – 7 APRIL 2020 – 5

exposed based on informants and Hamas’ intelligence work. According to the head of the House of Wisdom (meeting in October 2016), there is reason to keep an eye on some of those who worked in PA’s Preventive Security because they have a lot of sensitive information on Gaza.

Significance of which border crossing one returns by Because the Israeli authorities are only involved when the Erez border is crossed, it seems obvious that Hamas is most watchful of people who return from there. It is known that Israeli authorities may try to recruit Palestinians who try to cross the Erez border to be informants for them (Abu Eltarabesh 2017; Landinfo & Lifos 2017, p. 17; DFAT 2017, p. 20). For example, a Guardian article (Greenwood 2017) indicates that Israeli intelligence agents often seek out people who have applied for entry permits and offer to grant their application in exchange for information. This is also confirmed by Al-Haq (email April 2020).

The chair of the politically independent Press House in Gaza2 informed Landinfo of the same thing in a meeting in 2016. According to him, cancer patients, for example, could get permits to travel to Israel for treatment either there, in East Jerusalem or on the West Bank three times but get denied on the fourth. The Israelis will then pressure them for information and will only grant permission if they agree to this. People who apply to the Israeli authorities for entry permits for health care or other humanitarian reasons may therefore be vulnerable to pressure of becoming informants. Hamas is aware of this, and there are large posters at the border crossing to Erez that warn against sharing information with Israeli authorities.

Landinfo has asked some sources whether Hamas would be suspicious if a person returned via Erez after having travelled out via Rafah, contrary to normal practice. According to Al-Haq (email April 2020), it would be suspicious that the person is returning to Gaza with the assistance of the Israeli authorities. This is because Palestinians are often pressured to cooperate with Israel in exchange for a service they receive, such as a work or entry permit.

The head of ICHR (meeting October 2019), Ammar Dweik, responded that it is not entirely uncommon for someone to return via Erez even if they travelled out via Rafah. For example, he thought this could happen if someone had attended a conference in . Dweik had not received reports or complaints that anyone had been arrested after returning via Erez. When asked whether he would have heard of this if it had happened, he replied that it was not certain. ICHR mainly only know about conditions reported to them. The various human rights organisations do not systematically share information between them, according to Dweik.

2 Press House is a non-commercial media institution that assists politically independent journalists.

Query response Palestine: Suspicion of collaboration upon returning to the Gaza Strip LANDINFO – 7 APRIL 2020 – 6

Landinfo notes that Gisha (email April 2020) strongly disagrees with ICHR’s assessment that it is not entirely uncommon to return via Erez if traveling out via Rafah (see p. 2).3

The representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR, meeting in October 2019) also did not know of anyone being arrested and suspected of collaborating with Israel due to returning via Erez. However, he pointed out that OHCHR does not follow the situation for returnees to the Gaza Strip. Still, he believed there was a potential risk that people who return from abroad could be suspected of collaborating with Israel.

PCHR has not responded to Landinfo’s inquiries on this issue.

Al-Haq’s and OHCHR’s statements indicate that Hamas could be suspicious if a person returned via Erez after having travelled out via Rafah, contrary to normal practice. However, none of the sources Landinfo conferred with have information that anyone has had problems after such a facilitated return.

However, the head of ICHR, Ammar Dweik, stated that a 32-year-old Palestinian was arrested in October 2019 when he returned via Rafah after a two-week stay abroad. He had left the Gaza Strip in early October, supposedly to work in Bulgaria. Upon returning on 14 October, he was arrested by Hamas’ military force the Al-Qassam Brigades. Because the man was arrested by the military and not the police, Dweik assumed the man was arrested on suspicion of collaborating with Israel’s security apparatus.

This example indicates that suspicion of collaboration with Israel affects not just Palestinians who cross the border at Erez.

Does it matter which country the person returns from and how long they were abroad? It is unknown whether it matters if someone returns from a Western country or from a neighbouring country. Neither can we say whether the length of the stay abroad matters. A person who has attended a conference for just a few days may be asked who they met etc.

Even Hamas supporters risk charges of collaboration. A UN source Landinfo met in Gaza in autumn 2016, Nasser Sarraj,4 said that members of Hamas’ own military force, the Al-Qassam Brigades, have also been arrested for having shared sensitive information with the authorities in Ramallah. According to this source,

3 In Landinfo’s opinion, Gisha’s statements on Israeli practice regarding travel permits outweigh those of ICHR. Gisha has worked daily to protect Palestinians’ rights to freedom of movement for many years and has extensive experience with assisting Palestinians with legal expertise against Israeli authorities in this area. 4 Nasser Sarraj is a former Deputy Minister of MOCA (Ministry of Civilian Affairs) in PA.

Query response Palestine: Suspicion of collaboration upon returning to the Gaza Strip LANDINFO – 7 APRIL 2020 – 7

collaborators from Hamas’ own ranks risk the same punishment as other collaborators.

Reactions from the authorities upon returning People who return after staying abroad may expect anything from simple questioning at the border to a further interview and questioning at the intelligence offices in Gaza. If they are accused of being a collaborator, they risk the death penalty (Amnesty International 2018, p. 10; Greenwood 2018; Al-Dameer, meeting in Gaza October 2016). The head of the Hamas-affiliated think tank House of Wisdom said that the punishment varies depending on the extent of the damage (meeting in Gaza, October 2016).

In 2018, 15 people were sentenced to death in the Gaza Strip, 7 of them by the military court in Gaza, for collaboration with Israel or PA (PCHR 2018a, 2018b, 2020, p. 90). PCHR has not reported any death sentences for similar offenses in 2019.

Treatment during interrogation can be brutal According to Human Rights Watch (HRW 2018), Hamas’ Internal Security (as well as various security agencies in PA) routinely use very violent methods when interrogating detainees. HRW describes the treatment as torture. A widespread method is to force the detainees to sit or stand in very uncomfortable positions for a long time – this is called shabeh in . HRW (2018, p. 6) defines this as torture if the method is used to inflict injury/pain. For example, the method involves tying the hands together with rope and attaching the rope to the ceiling. During the interrogation, the rope is slowly tightened to increase the pressure on the arms, which will be extremely painful over time.

According to HRW (2018), the interrogations often take place in a room referred to as “the bus”. Here, detainees are forced to sit on small child-chairs or stand for hours at a time, and sometimes for several days, with only very few breaks (see e.g. p. 6–7). Threats of violence are also made to deter the person being interrogated from committing the same acts again. The report also mentions whipping the hands and soles of the feet and other methods.

Continued use of heavy-handed methods during both interrogation and arrest was confirmed in meetings with some sources in Gaza in October 2019.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also cites several examples of how the authorities in Gaza have abused people during interrogation or arrest. This is stated in a recent report to the UN General Assembly (UN General Assembly 2020, paragraph 44-45, 47-48, 53-54 and 61-62). One of the examples

Query response Palestine: Suspicion of collaboration upon returning to the Gaza Strip LANDINFO – 7 APRIL 2020 – 8

(paragraph 44) involves abuse of a person accused of having ties to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah (PA) and to Israel.

ICHR (meeting in Ramallah, October 2019) regularly receives complaints of torture and abuse, both on the West Bank and in Gaza. The commission received 24 complaints of torture and abuse committed by the authorities in Gaza in April 2019 and 10 in May. Similarly, the number of complaints of torture and abuse committed by Palestinian authorities on the West Bank was 13 and 9. This is stated in the latest available monthly reports from ICHR (2019a; 2019b).

The human rights organisation Al-Haq (2020) also reports on the use of torture and abuse committed by the authorities on the West Bank and in Gaza in its annual report for 2019.

PCHR (2020 p. 89) claims in its latest available annual report for 2018 that torture is systematically used in interrogations in the Gaza Strip. The same report also states that Hamas' military force, the Al-Qassam Brigades, conducted an extrajudicial execution of a person in 2018 who was charged with collaborating with Israel in January 2017.

Societal suspicions and reactions There is little reason to assume that everyone who returns to the Gaza Strip is systematically suspected. However, people who are arrested due to suspicion of collaboration will be stigmatised in Palestinian society and may expect social sanctions from family and friends (ICHR, meeting in October 2019; OHCHR, meeting in October 2019; DFAT 2017, p. 20; AFP 2018).

Representatives of Press House in Gaza said in 2016 that people in Gaza accept that cancer patients receive Israeli assistance to get treatment outside of Gaza, for example. However, they may be suspected if they get help for other things. Therefore, it can be seen as suspicious if someone gets entry permits to Israel that are not normally granted.

Summary comments It is Landinfo’s clear perception that Hamas is committed to exposing collaborators. These may include both people who are in direct contact with the Israeli authorities and people who share sensitive information with the Palestinian

Query response Palestine: Suspicion of collaboration upon returning to the Gaza Strip LANDINFO – 7 APRIL 2020 – 9

Authority (PA). The latter is because Hamas believes PA shares this information with Israel.5

The search for collaborators is often very active in the wake of a war or other conflict-related events, such as the killing of a member of Hamas. However, Hamas probably keeps a constant look-out for potential collaborators. Hamas also warns the population of Gaza that they must be careful to avoid falling into an Israeli trap where they end up being collaborators.

Furthermore, once suspicion is aroused and gradually reinforced, interrogation methods will presumably be heavy-handed. If someone is convicted of having given sensitive information to Israel, they risk the death penalty.

However, Landinfo has no indication that people will be assumed to be collaborators simply on the basis of returning to the Gaza Strip via Erez/Beit Hanoun after staying abroad. However, it may attract attention if someone returns with special assistance from the Israeli authorities.

5 Landinfo is not aware of people convicted of collaboration with PA having been sentenced to death. PCHR (2018b) reported in December 2018 on someone who was sentenced to ten years in prison for “undermining the revolutionary cause”, which in this context meant “communication with Ramallah”.

Query response Palestine: Suspicion of collaboration upon returning to the Gaza Strip LANDINFO – 7 APRIL 2020 – 10

About Landinfo’s Query responses The Norwegian Country of Origin Information Centre, Landinfo, is an independent body within the Norwegian Immigration Authorities. Landinfo provides country of origin information (COI) to the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (Utlendingsdirektoratet – UDI), the Immigration Appeals Board (Utlendingsnemnda – UNE) and the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security. Query responses produced by Landinfo are based on information from carefully selected sources. The information is researched and evaluated in accordance with common methodology for processing of COI and Landinfo’s internal guidelines on source and information analysis. Responses provide brief answers to queries from the Directorate or Appeal’s Board. They are written within time constraints and do not provide exhaustive overviews of topics or themes. Country of origin information presented in Landinfo’s Query responses does not contain policy recommendations nor does it reflect official Norwegian views.

References Written sources

AFP (2018, 19 January). Gaza family kills member who allegedly acted as Israeli informant. AFP. Available from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/19/gaza-family-kills-member- who-acted-as-israeli-informant [downloaded 24 March 2020] Asad, M. (2017, 14 February). Israel tells Gaza heart patient: Spy for us or die. Middle East Monitor. Available from https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170214-israel-tells-gaza- heart-patient-spy-for-us-or-die/ [downloaded 1 April 2020] Australia DFAT, i.e. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2017, 15 March). Country Information Report Palestinian Territories. Canberra: DFAT. Available from https://www.dfat.gov.au/sites/default/files/country-information-report-palestinian- territories.pdf [downloaded 1 April 2020] Amnesty International (2018, 20 April). Death sentences and executions in 2018. London: Amnesty International. Available from https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/ACT5079552018ENGLISH.PDF [downloaded 1 April 2020] B’Tselem (2009). Testimony: Israeli Security Agency exploits illness of Gazan to try and force him to become a collaborator, September 2009. Tel Aviv: B’Tselem. Available from https://www.btselem.org/gaza-strip/testimony-israeli-security-agency-exploits-illness-gazan- try-and-force-him-become-collabo [downloaded 19 March 2020] B’Tselem (2011, 1 January). Harm to palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel. Tel Aviv: B’Tselem. Available from https://www.btselem.org/collaboration [downloaded 1 April 2020] B’Tselem (2014, 24 August). B’Tselem strongly condemns executions of individuals suspected of collaborating with Israel. Tel Aviv: B’Tselem. Available from https://www.btselem.org/press_releases/20140824_btselem_condemns_executions [downloaded 1 April 2020]

Query response Palestine: Suspicion of collaboration upon returning to the Gaza Strip LANDINFO – 7 APRIL 2020 – 11

B’Tselem (2020, 24 March). Statistics on the death penalty in the Palestinian Authority and under Hamas control in Gaza. Tel Aviv: B’Tselem. Available from https://www.btselem.org/inter_palestinian_violations/death_penalty_statistics [downloaded 1 April 2020] Abu Eltarabesh, H. (2017, 5 April). Spy or die. Electronic Intifada. Available from https://electronicintifada.net/content/spy-or-die/20091 [downloaded 1 April 2020] Gisha (n.d.a). Who can travel between Gaza and the West Bank? Tel Aviv: Gisha. Available from https://gisha.org/rose/eng/ [downloaded 1 April 2020] Gisha (n.d.b). Graphs. Exits of Palestinians to Israel and the West Bank via . Tel Aviv: Gisha. Available from http://gisha.org/reports-and-data/graphs [downloaded 25 March 2020] Greenwood, P. (2017, 19 July). Anger and mistrust in Gaza as Hamas hunts for Israel 'collaborators'. The Guardian. Available from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/19/anger-mistrust-gaza-hamas-hunts-israel- collaborators [downloaded 25 March 2020]. Al-Haq (2020, 4 February). Al-Haq field report on Human Rights violations in 2019. Ramallah: Al-Haq. Available from http://www.alhaq.org/monitoring-documentation/16346.html [downloaded 1 April 2020] HRW, i.e. Human Rights Watch (2018, 23 October). Two Authorities, One Way, Zero Dissent. New York: Human Rights Watch. Available from https://www.hrw.org/report/2018/10/23/two- authorities-one-way-zero-dissent/arbitrary-arrest-and-torture-under [downloaded 12 November 2018]. HRW (2020). Israel and Palestine. Events of 2019. World Report. New York: Human Rights Watch. Available from https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2020/country- chapters/israel/palestine [downloaded 1 April 2020] ICHR, i.e. Independent Commission for Human Rights (2019a, 14 May). Monthly report on violations of human rights and freedoms in Palestine April 2019. Ramallah: ICHR. Available from https://ichr.ps/en/1/5/2662/Monthly-Report-on-Violations-of-Human-Rights-and- Freedoms-in-Palestine-April-2019.htm [downloaded 1 April 2020] ICHR (2019b, 29 July). Monthly report on violations of human rights and freedoms in Palestine May 2019. Ramallah: ICHR. Available from https://ichr.ps/en/1/5/2703/Monthly-Report-on- Violations-of-Human-Rights-and-Freedoms-in-Palestine-May-2019.htm [downloaded 1 April 2020] Landinfo & Lifos (2017, April). Palestine: Passering av grenseovergangene Rafah og Erez til og fra Gazastripen [Palestine: Crossing the border crossings Rafah and Erez to and from the Gaza Strip]. Oslo: Landinfo. Available from https://landinfo.no/wp- content/uploads/2018/04/Temanotat-Palestina-Passering-av-grenseovergangene-Rafah-og- Erez-til-og-fra-Gazastripen-09052017.pdf [downloaded 30 March 2020]. OCHA (n.d.). Data. Gaza crossings: movement of people and goods. Ramallah: OCHA. Available from https://www.ochaopt.org/data/crossings [downloaded 30 March 2020] OCHA (2020, 12 February). Gaza blockade. Restrictions eased but most people still ‘locked in’. Ramallah: OCHA. Available from https://www.ochaopt.org/content/gaza-blockade- restrictions-eased-most-people-still-locked [downloaded 30 March 2020] OHCHR, i.e. UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (2017, 23 May). OHCHR: Gaza Death Sentences Illegal. Genève: OHCHR. Available from https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=21653&LangID=E [downloaded 30 March 2020]

Query response Palestine: Suspicion of collaboration upon returning to the Gaza Strip LANDINFO – 7 APRIL 2020 – 12

Omer, M. (2014, 6 September). Who are Israel's Palestinian informants? Al Jazeera. Available from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/09/palestinian-collaborators-gaza- history-israel-201492113636242365.html [downloaded 30 March 2020] PCHR, i.e. Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (2018a, 4 December). Gaza Military Court Issues Six Death Sentences, PCHR Calls upon Palestinian President to Issue Immediate Decision by Law to end this Penalty. Gaza: PCHR. Available from https://www.pchrgaza.org/en/?p=11710 [downloaded 19 March 2020] PCHR (2018b, 11 December). PCHR Calls upon Attorney General to Investigate Two Torture Crimes in West Bank and Gaza. Gaza: PCHR. Available from https://www.pchrgaza.org/en/?p=11736 [downloaded 30 March 2020] PCHR (2020, February). Annual report 2018. Gaza: PCHR. Available from https://www.pchrgaza.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/annual-report-engish-2018.pdf [downloaded 30 March 2020] UN General Assembly (2015, 24 June). Human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories. Human Rights Council Twenty-ninth session, Agenda item 7. Report of the independent commission of inquiry established pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution S-21/1. New York: UN General Assembly. Available from https://info.publicintelligence.net/UN-GazaReport-2014-1.pdf [downloaded 30 March 2020] UN General Assembly (2020, 20 January). Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary General. New York: UN General Assembly. Available from https://undocs.org/en/A/HRC/43/70 [downloaded 30 March 2020] UNHCR (2018, 23 February). Country of Origin Information on the Situation in the Gaza Strip, Including on Restrictions on Exit and Return. Genève: UNHCR, available from https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a9908ed4.html [downloaded 30 March 2020] UN Country Team in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (2017, 11 July). Gaza ten years later. Genève: UN Country Team in the Occupied PalestinianTerritory. Available from https://unsco.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/gaza_10_years_later_-_11_july_2017.pdf [downloaded 12 November 2018]. U.S. Department of State (2018, 20 April). 2017 Human Rights Practices Israel, Golan Heights, West Bank and Gaza. Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of State. Available from http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2017&dlid=277245 [downloaded 12 November 2018]

Oral sources Ammar Dweik, Head of Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR). Meeting in Ramallah, 31 October 2019. Al-Dameer. Meeting in Gaza, 26 October 2016. Al-Haq. Email, 4 April 2020 Gisha – Legal centre for freedom of movement. Meeting in Tel Aviv, 2 November 2016. E-mail 1 April 2020. House of Wisdom, Hamas’ think tank. Meeting in Gaza, 26 October 2016. Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. Meeting in Gaza, 25 October 2016 and November 2019. Press House. Chair. Meeting in Gaza, 26 October 2016. Nasser Sarraj, Senior UN Adviser and former Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Civilian Affairs (MOCA) in Ramallah. Meeting in Gaza, 27 October 2016.

Query response Palestine: Suspicion of collaboration upon returning to the Gaza Strip LANDINFO – 7 APRIL 2020 – 13

OHCHR, i.e. Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Meeting in Ramallah, 30 October 2019 (James Heenan and Cecilia Gadd).

Translation provided by the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons, .

© Landinfo 2020 The material in this report is covered by copyright law. Any reproduction or publication of this report or any extract thereof other than as permitted by current Norwegian copyright law requires the explicit written consent of Landinfo.

Query response Palestine: Suspicion of collaboration upon returning to the Gaza Strip LANDINFO – 7 APRIL 2020 – 14