As part of the ongoing efforts by the Palestinian Center for 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 young man Abdul Aziz Abdullah Abu Abed, representing a case with strong indicators of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance by Israeli occupation forces.
According to information and testimony documented by the Center, and under the direct authorization granted by the missing person’s family—represented by their authorized representative, Abdul Aziz Abu Abed, who was 19 years old at the time of the incident (born October 26, 2004) and residing on Jaffa Street in the Bani Suheila area of Khan Younis (originally from Abasan al-Kabira), went missing on December 14, 2023.
Details of the Incident and Circumstances of Disappearance
According to available documentation, Abdul Aziz was at a neighbor’s house in Bani Suheila, Khan Younis, on December 14, 2023, accompanied by two individuals: Adam Abu Harjas and Muhammad Abu Abed, coinciding with the entry of Israeli forces into the area. Since that moment, all communication with them ceased entirely, and all three were reported missing without any information regarding their fate or whereabouts.
At the time of his disappearance, Abdul Aziz had his mobile phone and personal identification documents with him. Following his disappearance, information and testimonies from released detainees indicated that he was seen in detention facilities in the Negev during March 2024, suggesting that he remains in forced detention by Israeli authorities.
Search Attempts, Follow-up, and Actions Taken
Immediately following the incident, the family pursued all available avenues to trace his whereabouts. They contacted the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), as well as the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights and Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association; however, none of these organizations were able to provide any information confirming his place of detention or revealing his fate. The family also contacted HaMoked (Center for the Defence of the Individual), which reported that he was not registered in their records as a detainee.
Based on the direct authorization granted by the missing person’s family, the Palestinian Center for Missing and Forcibly Disappeared (PCMFD) submitted an official and urgent complaint to the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) in Geneva on January 31, 2026, demanding pressure on the Israeli authorities to investigate the circumstances of his disappearance and immediately disclose his location and fate.
Unknown Fate and Urgent Appeal
To date, Abdul Aziz Abdullah Abu Abed 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 Israeli authorities to fulfill their legal obligations, disclose his place of detention, provide him with necessary medical care, and guarantee his rights.
The case of Abdul Aziz exemplifies the systematic policy of enforced disappearance against civilians in the Gaza Strip, demanding firm international action to reveal the truth and end the family’s suffering.
