&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Israeli occupation forces detain 68 Palestinian workers found in garbage truck amid West Bank crisis")
Israeli occupation forces have detained 68 Palestinians workers at the Cross-Samaria Checkpoint, from the occupied West Bank, after they were found hiding inside a garbage truck near an Israeli military roadblock while attempting to reach their workplace in Israel. The workers were compelled to opt for this dangerous and degrading method of transportation after the Israeli occupation forces did not allow them to return to work, as the West Bank is pushed towards economic collapse.
The workers were found in a state of severe exhaustion, while some had lost consciousness due to overcrowding and suffocation. “In a security inspection, about 40 Palestinians, illegal residents, were discovered as they were trying to infiltrate into the centre of the country,” said the Israeli occupation force in a statement. The truck driver, a resident of Kfar Qassem, was arrested in connection with the smuggling attempt. He reportedly did not have a proper permit and refused to cooperate.
According to Israel's Channel 12 News, the detainees were allegedly headed for cities including Netanya, Tel Aviv and Rishon Lezion. For decades, Israeli colonies were built with the labour of Palestinian workers. Since October 7, 2023, Israel has revoked nearly all work permits for West Bank Palestinians, trapping hundreds of thousands of workers in their homes without income. The exclusion has devastated the economic landscape of the West Bank. Humanitarian organisations have highlighted the "unbearable living conditions" in the West Bank, including extreme poverty and lack of basic services, which often drives individuals to dangerous routes for maintaining their livelihood. Workers call it a slow collapse, multiplied by the lack of intervention by labour institutions or the absence of alternative and emergency support.
