GAZA, (PIC)
Al-Dameer Association for Human Rights in Gaza has revealed that more than 9,500 Palestinians have been reported missing or unaccounted for since the start of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, including around 4,700 women and children.
In a report released Tuesday titled “Missing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip Amid the Genocidal War,” the organization said the cases fall into five main categories. The largest group consists of people whose fate remains unknown beneath the rubble, with more than 8,100 individuals believed to still be trapped under buildings and structures destroyed by Israeli bombardment.
The report also documented more than 250 cases of people who disappeared while traveling to humanitarian aid distribution points or along routes used for aid convoys, particularly those linked to the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is operated by US security contractors.
In addition, the report recorded more than 350 people who crossed the separation fence on October 7, 2023, and whose whereabouts remain unknown, with no official information provided by Israeli authorities.
It further documented the disappearance of more than 800 Palestinians detained by Israeli forces while moving from northern to southern Gaza through military checkpoints or during ground operations inside the Strip.
Al-Dameer stated that these cases constitute clear violations of international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, Additional Protocol I, the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, and the Rome Statute, which classifies enforced disappearance as a crime against humanity.
The organization stressed that Israel’s obligations extend beyond ending violations and include immediately disclosing the fate of missing persons, returning remains, and allowing international organizations and medical teams unrestricted access to all relevant sites.
Al-Dameer held Israeli authorities fully responsible for the fate of the missing, citing Israel’s status as the occupying power exercising effective control over Gaza.
The report called for the immediate disclosure of the fate of all missing persons, the release of detainees, the entry of rescue and forensic teams, the establishment of a DNA database to assist in identification efforts, and the activation of international accountability mechanisms. It also urged the adoption of national legislation guaranteeing families the right to know the fate of their loved ones and receive compensation.
The report comes as Palestinian figures indicate that the war on Gaza since October 2023 has left more than 245,000 Palestinians killed or injured, over 11,000 reported missing, hundreds of thousands displaced, and caused widespread destruction across the territory.