Search for missing prolongs the agony for families in Gaza

Holding photographs of their sons who vanished during the war, mothers in Gaza wait for answers.

Thousands of people are still missing across the territory, with many lost beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings. Families’ last hope is often that their relative has been detained by Israeli authorities.

“Every now and then, whenever a prisoner was released, we would ask, ‘Did you see my son? Did you hear his name?’,” says Reem Amin Youssef Fayad, whose son is missing.

“Some said they had heard his name but had not seen him. Others said they had seen him. Between those who said they saw him and those who only heard his name, we remain in limbo.”

Jumanah Manaa’s son Amro Manaa is also missing:

“When I see someone come out safely and their family welcome and embrace them, tears flow from my eyes. I sit and cry and say, ‘God, may the day come when he returns and we experience the same joy they are experiencing.’”

Identification

Recovering the bodies of those trapped under the rubble is hampered by Israeli restrictions on bringing heavy equipment into Gaza and by the risks posed by unexploded ordnance.

As time passes, it also becomes increasingly difficult to identify the victims.

Ziyad Ashour is head of the Medical Evidence Section in the Forensic Medicine Department at Al-Shifa Hospital:

“This year, our situation has begun to stabilise, and we have started making significant efforts to trace unidentified people. However, in the Gaza Strip, unfortunately, we do not have DNA testing, which is the main method used around the world for identification. Clothing is not enough, and personal belongings found with the bodies are not enough, because we receive many bodies as cadaver.”

And the killing doesn’t end despite a ceasefire still in place between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. On Thursday, Gaza authorities said four people died in Israel strikes on the territory, including two children.

Since the ceasefire took effect in October, more than 1,200 people have been killed in Gaza.

Hamas is reportedly holding talks with international mediators in Cairo aimed at consolidating the truce.