As part of the ongoing efforts by the Palestinian Center for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared (PCMFD) to document cases of missing persons and enforced disappearances in the Gaza Strip, the Center documents the case of the child Ali Bassem Al-Taie, as one of the cases showing strong indicators of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance by the Israeli occupation forces.
According to information and testimonies documented by the Center, and pursuant to the direct authorization granted by the missing person’s family, Ali Al-Taie, aged 15 at the time of the incident (born on 10 November 2008), residing in Al-Sabra neighborhood (near Al-Maghrabi Roundabout on Al-Thalathini Street), went missing on 14 March 2024.
Details of the Incident and Circumstances of Disappearance
According to available documentation, Ali left his place of residence heading toward the “Kuwait Roundabout” area in Al-Zeitoun neighborhood, Gaza City, at approximately 6:00 PM on Thursday, 14 March 2024, to obtain flour for his family.
From that moment, all contact with Ali was completely lost and he did not return home, despite the return of others who were with him or in the same area. That night witnessed a large-scale encirclement and detention operation by Israeli tanks at the Kuwait Roundabout area, during which at least 50 individuals were surrounded and detained; his brother and cousin were eyewitnesses to the event. All trace of Ali vanished without any official information regarding his fate, while confirming that he was not among the documented martyrs at the site.
Despite the loss of direct contact, subsequent reports indicated that his family name was heard inside Ofer Prison in October 2024, without any official acknowledgement from Israeli authorities regarding his presence or detention.
Search Efforts, Follow-up, and Actions Taken
Immediately following the incident, the family took all available measures to trace his whereabouts. They submitted official inquiries to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and contacted HaMoked: Center for the Defence of the Individual, Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, and the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs. However, all these organizations confirmed that no official record was available regarding his detention, whereabouts, or fate.
Based on the direct authorization from the family, the Palestinian Center for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared (PCMFD) submitted an urgent official communication to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) in Geneva, requesting pressure on the occupying authorities to investigate the circumstances of his disappearance and to immediately disclose his whereabouts and fate.
Unknown Fate and Urgent Appeal
To date, the child Ali Bassem Al-Taie remains forcibly disappeared. His family and the Center urgently appeal to all human rights organizations, international bodies, and relevant UN committees to intervene immediately and pressure the occupying authorities to fulfill their legal obligations, disclose his place of detention, provide necessary medical care, and guarantee his rights as a minor.
Ali’s case exemplifies the systematic policy of enforced disappearance against civilians and children in the Gaza Strip, requiring decisive international action to ensure the truth is revealed and to end the ongoing suffering of his family.
