NABLUS, September 25, 2025 (WAFA) – The Secretary-General of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU), Shaher Saad, said that the Israeli occupation forces have killed 40 Palestinian workers since the start of the aggression on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023.

He said that more than 30,000 workers employed inside the 1948 territories have also been detained since the onset of the aggression.

In a press statement issued today, Saad explained that the occupation targets workers on a daily basis during their commute to and from workplaces, and in some cases while on duty, using live ammunition or brutal violence during detention and interrogation, which has led to the killing of dozens.

He added that workers are detained by being chased near the apartheid wall, through raids on their sleeping quarters in workshops and employer-provided dormitories, and repeated raids on their workplaces.

Saad pointed out that the methods of detention are marked by brutality, with workers subjected to gunfire, severe beatings, or fabricated charges. Many are forced, after interrogation, to sign pledges not to return to work inside the 1948 territories, while others are held for up to four months and fined amounts exceeding 10,000 shekels, in addition to additional financial penalties for their release.

He emphasized that these violations are well-documented through testimonies of workers who endured detention and abuse, noting that the lack of alternatives in the Palestinian labor market forces thousands to risk their lives in pursuit of a livelihood for their families.

Saad appealed to the International Labour Organization, the International Trade Union Confederation, and all global labor unions to take urgent action to pressure the occupation authorities to protect Palestinian workers from repressive practices, stressing that workers seek nothing more than a dignified livelihood.

T.R.