Rights group says up to 3,000 people have disappeared in Gaza
A Palestinian human rights body has said that, based on an analytical review, an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 people have disappeared in the Gaza Strip during Israeli attacks, a matter it says highlights the need to investigate the possibility of a broader pattern of enforced disappearance.
The Palestinian Center for the Missing and Enforced Disappeared said on Saturday, on the eve of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, that the estimate was derived from a review of 317 cases. The centre added that its findings are based on reports from families of missing people and documented incidents on the ground, but do not cover all cases of missing persons or enforced disappearance in Gaza.
According to the review, of the 317 recorded cases, 302 were men and 15 were women. Among them were 41 children and 17 people aged 60 or older. Gaza City tops the list with 89 cases, followed by northern Gaza with 74, Khan Younis with 59, central Gaza with 37 and Rafah with 32.
The centre said 76 cases occurred during military attacks on homes or the siege of neighbourhoods. It also said 60 cases were recorded when residents tried to return home or obtain basic necessities, 42 during displacement or while passing military checkpoints, and 39 while searching for food or waiting for aid.
According to the organisation, 22 other cases were linked to the siege or attack on medical facilities and the transfer of patients, while 10 occurred in connection with journalism or field reporting. The centre separately estimated that between 4,000 and 5,000 other people are missing and may be trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings, but stressed that these cases should not be equated with enforced disappearance.
The organisation called for the fate of all missing people to be clarified, for the International Committee of the Red Cross to be granted access to detainees, and for an independent international mechanism to be established to investigate these cases and hold those responsible accountable.
In April, the Palestinian Ministry of Justice also said that more than 11,200 Palestinians had been missing or disappeared since October 2023, including more than 4,700 women and children. The United Nations defines enforced disappearance as the arrest, detention or abduction of people by state officials or persons acting with their authorisation, support or acquiescence, followed by a refusal to disclose the fate or whereabouts of the person.
