As part of the ongoing efforts by the Palestinian Center for Missing and Forcibly Disappeared (PCMFD) to document cases of missing and enforced disappearance in the Gaza Strip, the Center documents the disappearance of citizen Hatem Samir Farwana (Abu Muhammad). This case carries strong and direct indicators of enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention by Israeli occupation forces inside medical facilities and places protected under international law.
According to information and testimonies documented by the Center, and based on authorization granted by the family, Hatem Farwana—aged 46 at the time of the incident (born November 22, 1977), who works as an accountant and resides in the Gaza–Al-Sabra area (residing in Gaza–Al-Saraya at the time of the incident)—disappeared on December 15, 2023.
Details of the Incident and Circumstances of Disappearance
According to available documentation, Hatem Farwana was injured by missile shrapnel following a bombardment near the Al-Saraya roundabout in Gaza City. Residents and passersby rushed him to Al-Ahli Arab (Baptist) Hospital for medical treatment. The following morning, Israeli forces raided the hospital and conducted a mass detention operation targeting everyone inside, including medical staff, patients, and the wounded.
Following the raid and detention operation, Hatem’s relatives went to the hospital to inquire about his health condition and whereabouts; however, the hospital administration confirmed that his name was not listed in the records of those remaining or injured after the raid. Since that date, all contact and trace of him have been completely lost, and his family has received no information regarding his fate or place of detention.
Indicators of Enforced Disappearance and International Violations
The disappearance of citizen Hatem Farwana following a direct military raid on a health facility and the detention of those inside—coupled with the occupation authorities’ complete refusal to disclose his fate or location—clearly places this case among the crimes of enforced disappearance prohibited under international law. This secrecy constitutes a continuation of flagrant violations of international humanitarian law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, which mandate special protection for hospitals, the wounded, and civilians during armed conflicts, and guarantee the non-prescriptible right of families to know the fate of their loved ones.
Search Efforts, Follow-up, and Actions Taken
Following his disappearance, Hatem’s family pursued all available means to search for him. His wife submitted several official requests and inquiries to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) during January and December 2025, and February 2026, but the family has received no response or information clarifying his fate to date.
Following up on the case and based on the family’s authorization, the Palestinian Center for Missing and Enforced Disappeared Persons (PCMFD) officially documented the case and submitted an urgent communication to the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) in Geneva. The communication calls on the international community and UN mechanisms to pressure the occupation authorities to investigate the circumstances of his disappearance, immediately disclose his place of detention, and end the state of denial and secrecy regarding his case.
Unknown Fate and Urgent Appeal
To this day, the fate of Hatem Samir Farwana remains officially unknown. His family and the Center urgently appeal to all human rights organizations, international bodies, and UN committees to intervene immediately to disclose his whereabouts and ensure his legal and humanitarian protection. This case exemplifies the ongoing suffering of Palestinian families, as well as patients and the wounded detained from within hospitals, necessitating serious international action to compel the parties to the conflict to disclose the whereabouts of the missing and detained and restore the right to know their fate.
