Within minutes of walking through an Israeli military checkpoint along the Gaza Strip¡¯s central highway on Nov. 19, Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha was asked to step out of the crowd. He put down his 3-year-old son, whom he was carrying, and sat in front of a military jeep.

Half an hour later, Abu Toha heard his name called. Then he was blindfolded and led away for interrogation.

¡°I had no idea what was happening or how they could suddenly know my full legal name,¡± said the 31-year-old, who added that he had no ties to the militant group Hamas and had been trying to leave Gaza for Egypt.