In its continuous efforts to document cases of loss and enforced disappearance in the Gaza Strip, the PCMFD highlights the case of Ahmed Samir Dalloul. His case presents direct evidence of arrest and enforced disappearance by Israeli forces in the central Gaza Strip.
Incident Details
According to documentation from the victim’s family, Ahmed Samir Dalloul, 30, a public sector employee and resident of the Tel Al-Hawa neighborhood in Gaza City, went missing on Thursday, January 11, 2024.
Based on testimonies from family members and witnesses, Ahmed left his tent in the Al-Sultan neighborhood of Rafah, heading toward the Nuseirat area. He was later seen at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah while performing documentation and photography work. While proceeding toward Salah Al-Din Street in Nuseirat, he was arrested by Israeli forces in the presence of one of his colleagues. Communication with him has been entirely severed since that moment.
Additional Evidence and Indicators of Detention
Ahmed was in possession of his identification documents and mobile phone at the time of his disappearance. Despite the lack of official information, the Center and his family have received testimonies from released detainees reporting that he was seen at a detention facility in the Negev in April 2024, and later at Ramon Prison in October 2025. Notwithstanding these testimonies, Israeli authorities continue to withhold any official acknowledgement of his detention or legal status.
Indicators of Enforced Disappearance
Ahmed Dalloul’s arrest by Israeli forces in an area of military operations, combined with witness accounts confirming his presence in prisons and the persistent denial by Israeli authorities, classifies this case as a systematic enforced disappearance. This deliberate ambiguity represents a grave violation of International Humanitarian Law, which mandates that occupying powers disclose the whereabouts of civilian detainees and facilitate communication with their families.
Search and Follow-up Efforts
Following Ahmed’s disappearance, his family pursued all available legal avenues. They contacted the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), HaMoked (Center for the Defence of the Individual), and Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association. All these organizations reported that Israeli authorities deny having any official records of his arrest.
The PCMFD has officially documented the case and submitted a formal communication to the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID). The Center calls upon the international community to pressure Israeli authorities to immediately reveal Ahmed Dalloul’s fate and place of detention.
Unknown Fate
To this day, Ahmed Samir Dalloul’s fate remains officially unknown. His family and the Center appeal to all human rights organizations and international bodies to intervene urgently to end his suffering and ensure his legal protection. This case reflects a recurring pattern of unacknowledged detention, necessitating international action to hold those responsible accountable and ensure the safe return of the disappeared to their families.
