Thousands of Gazans Remain Unaccounted for Two Years into the Conflict
In the wake of relentless bombardment, families across Gaza continue to search desperately for missing loved ones. In one heart-wrenching scene, Mohammad and Tahani al-Najjar are seen in their tent near the southern coast at Muwasi, holding a cellphone displaying a photo of their 23‐year‐old son, Ahmad—who vanished during an Israeli airstrike nearly two years ago. Despite countless displacements and repeated efforts, the family has yet to find any trace of him.
Another woman, Fadwa al-Ghalban, clutches a set of clothes that once belonged to her 27‐year‐old son, Mosaab. He disappeared in July when his cousins last spotted him near their home in the town of Maan, only for an airstrike to obliterate the building. With no further word and only his personal belongings remaining, Fadwa’s hope is sustained only by the memory and lingering scent of her son.
In the Jabaliya refugee camp of Gaza City, Khaled Nassar surveys the devastation where his children once lived. His daughter Dalia and his son Mahmoud were each claimed by separate airstrikes, their remains trapped beneath the rubble of their once-familiar home. Rescue teams have struggled to access many of these areas, further complicating efforts to account for the missing and recover the deceased.
A Relentless Search Amid Ruins
When bombs began to rain down, families like the al-Najjars were forced to flee their homes in the dead of night. In the chaos that followed, Mohammad al-Najjar and his family took shelter miles away. Once safe, they soon realized that Ahmad was nowhere to be found. They scoured local hospitals and questioned neighbors, but no information about his whereabouts emerged.
Across Gaza, a similar desperation pervades. Hundreds of families are still searching for relatives believed to have perished or simply vanished during the conflict. Some are thought to be buried beneath collapsed buildings, while others disappeared without a trace amidst the mass displacements and chaotic military operations.
Kathryne Bomberger, head of the International Commission on Missing Persons, remarked that in a war where death tolls remain uncertain, no one truly knows how many Gazans remain unaccounted for. Government sources from the Hamas-run Health Ministry indicate that thousands of bodies may lie beneath the rubble and that reports of missing persons could be far higher, especially when entire families were wiped out by a single strike.
The Challenge of Investigating the Missing
The task of locating those unaccounted for is daunting. Officials estimate that around 6,000 people have been reported by relatives as still trapped under debris, though the real figure may be substantially higher. Additionally, reports from families suggest about 3,600 individuals are missing with no clear indication of their fate. While a handful of cases have been confirmed as detainees in Israeli prisons, most remain unverified.
International organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, maintain separate records—listing more than 7,000 missing cases not including those believed to be under rubble. The investigation requires advanced DNA testing, examination of unidentified remains, and aerial surveys to locate mass burial sites. Yet, the availability of vital testing supplies has been restricted from entering Gaza, further hampering these efforts.
Bomberger emphasized that it is the responsibility of the occupying authorities to address the issue. “It depends on the political will of the Israeli authorities to take definitive steps toward resolving the fate of those missing,” she noted.
The Personal Toll on Families
For Fadwa al-Ghalban, the mystery surrounding her son Mosaab is deeply personal. After venturing out to retrieve food from their family home near Maan, he was seen lying motionless by cousins who tried calling his name. With the dangerous presence of military forces, they could not approach him to confirm his condition. Returning later, the family found only his slippers and remnants of a life abruptly interrupted.
Fadwa’s anguish is palpable. Determined to hold onto any evidence of her son’s existence, she has scattered notices on social media in hopes that someone might have witnessed his fate—whether he is detained or buried in the aftermath of the devastation. “I still imagine him walking toward me, and I cling to that hope,” she says, her voice trembling with sorrow.
Meanwhile, rights organizations accuse Israel of engaging in a systematic practice of “disappearing” Palestinians—detaining them without charges or trials, often in secret locations under harsh conditions that leave families in prolonged uncertainty.
Searching Among the Rubble for a Final Sign
For families like that of Khaled Nassar, the loss is compounded by the ongoing struggle to find any remnant of their loved ones. His daughter Dalia and son Mahmoud were lost in separate tragedies. After Dalia’s death on October 9, 2023, her husband and children survived, but the silence left behind is deafening. Mahmoud, who had returned to their home for a routine shower, was engulfed by the chaos when a subsequent strike hit the building.
Determined not to give up, Nassar and his wife Khadra painstakingly cleared debris from what remained of their home in the hopes of uncovering even a small, personal token—like a ring or a bone—that might offer some measure of closure. “Even if I only find his ring or a few bones to bury properly, it would be a small comfort,” Khadra explained.
The ongoing conflict has not only torn apart the physical landscape of Gaza but has also left countless families grappling with the uncertainty and heartbreak of missing loved ones. With each passing day, the search for the unaccounted continues, a stark reminder of the human cost of war.
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