As part of the ongoing efforts by the Palestinian Center for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared to document cases of missing persons and enforced disappearances in the Gaza Strip, the Center has documented the disappearance of Hazem Hossam Qasim. This case carries strong indicators of enforced disappearance or direct targeting amid field military operations and massacres targeting civilians attempting to obtain humanitarian aid.
According to information and testimonies documented by the Center, alongside formal authorization granted by the family, Hazem Qasim—who was 25 years old at the time of the incident (born November 26, 1998) and employed as a butcher—is a resident of the Al-Zaytoun area (Old Court Street) in Gaza City. He went missing on the evening of Wednesday, February 28, 2024.
Based on available documentation, Hazem left his residence at 07:00 PM heading towards the Nabulsi area near the sea on Al-Rasheed Street to await humanitarian aid trucks to secure flour. Upon his arrival in the area, Israeli forces conducted an incursion and heavy shelling, accompanied by intense gunfire and artillery strikes, resulting in a massacre against civilians present at the site. Since that moment, all contact with Hazem was completely lost. At the time of his disappearance, he was not carrying a mobile phone or identification documents, and his family has received no information regarding his status or whereabouts.
Indicators of Enforced Disappearance
The disappearance of Hazem Qasim in an area that experienced a military incursion and direct targeting of civilians by Israeli forces—combined with the complete refusal to disclose his fate or location—places this case clearly within the parameters of suspected state-sponsored enforced disappearance. This continued withholding of information constitutes a blatant violation of International Humanitarian Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, which mandate the protection of civilians in times of conflict and guarantee families the non-derogable right to know the fate of their relatives.
Search and Follow-up Efforts
Following his disappearance, Hazem’s family pursued all available avenues to locate him, contacting human rights organizations such as “Addameer” and “HaMoked,” both of which confirmed that no information was available regarding his presence in detention centers. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was also contacted, but no information regarding his fate was retrieved.
Following up on the case and based on the legal authorization provided by the family representative the Palestinian Center for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared (PCMFD) officially documented the case and submitted a formal communication to the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) in Geneva. The submission calls on the international community and UN mechanisms to press authorities to investigate the circumstances of his disappearance, immediately reveal his fate, and end the state of denial surrounding his case.
Unknown Fate
To date, the fate of Hazem Hossam Qasim remains officially unknown. His family and the Center urgently appeal to all human rights organizations and international bodies to intervene immediately to disclose his location and ensure his legal and humanitarian protection. This case embodies the ongoing suffering of Palestinian families amid the direct targeting of civilians awaiting aid, necessitating serious international action to compel parties to the conflict to disclose the whereabouts of missing persons and detainees and uphold the right to know the truth.
