More than 9,500 Palestinians vanished in Gaza since 2023

More than 9,500 Palestinians have officially gone missing in the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of hostilities in October 2023, according to a sobering new report from a prominent regional rights organization.

The Gaza-based Al-Dameer Association for Human Rights disclosed that the vanished population includes an estimated 4,700 women and children, labeling the situation as "one of the most complex and painful humanitarian crises" arising from the ongoing conflict. The group’s comprehensive legal and field analysis categorizes the disappearances into several harrowing scenarios, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.

By far the largest group consists of roughly 8,100 individuals who are believed to be trapped and unaccounted for beneath the massive mounds of rubble left behind by thousands of destroyed residential buildings and infrastructure. Additionally, localized tracking records indicate that at least 250 civilians vanished near humanitarian aid distribution centers, while more than 800 people lost contact with their families after being detained at military checkpoints during massive civilian evacuations from north to south Gaza. The remaining 350 individuals include those whose fates have been completely unknown since crossing into Israel on October 7, 2023.

Condemning forced disappearances as a severe breach of international law, Al-Dameer is calling for immediate international intervention. The NGO urges global authorities to pressure Israel for the release of all hidden detainees, facilitate the return of human remains, and support the establishment of a localized genetic database to help grieving families identify their missing loved ones.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada