In the Al-Zana area, east of Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, Mahmoud Jadallah (53 years old) stood in front of the remains of his home, after rushing there to search for his missing son, Omar (24 years old), who has been missing since his displacement to Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. Last September, Jadallah’s four-story house was targeted by an Israeli airstrike, hitting the top two floors where his three children lived. Two of them were martyred and recovered by Civil Defense teams from the rubble, while his son Omar’s fate remained unknown as he was trapped under the debris. Before leaving his town, the man wrote on one of the walls of his destroyed home: “Here lies Omar.” From above the rubble, Jadallah says in an interview with “Al-Akhbar”: “Since the crime occurred, I haven’t been able to sleep. I kept imagining Omar’s face and hearing his voice calling me. I didn’t know whether he was alive or dead, but my heart told me he was close, beneath this rubble.”

After hours of searching with the help of neighbors and some volunteers, using simple tools like shovels and pulleys, Omar’s body was found. About that moment, the father continues: “When we found Omar’s body, I felt as if I had lost my soul. His body was frozen under the rubble, but I felt that he had finally returned to me. I embraced him as if I were trying to wake him up from his sleep. Now, I have nothing left but the memories of my three children. I buried them all with my own hands, and all that remains for me is patience and prayers, hoping that God will reunite me with them in paradise.”

It is worth noting that thousands of Palestinians went missing during the war due to intense bombing and collapses that affected residential buildings. Multiple sources reported that the number of missing persons exceeded 11,000, with estimates indicating more than 21,000.

Loss During Escape

With the intensification of bombing on Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip last November, the Shurrab family had no choice but to flee in search of a safe place. The moments were quick and filled with fear, with the mother holding her youngest child while the father tried to calm the others. Abdul Salam, the eldest son, 19 years old, was the last to leave the house, trying to help the neighbors. But when the family turned to check on its members along the way, Abdul Salam was not among them, even though they eventually settled in a shelter west of Gaza City. The father, Khalil Shurrab, says to “Al-Akhbar”: “We searched for him everywhere. We thought he was injured or arrested, but no one had an answer. We informed the Red Cross and Civil Defense, and they told us that reaching Beit Hanoun was impossible due to the heavy bombing.” Days passed, and Abdul Salam remained missing, while his family lived in a state of anticipation and despair, torn between the small hope that he was still alive and the great fear that he had left without a goodbye.

With the announcement of the ceasefire, the family decided to return to Beit Hanoun to inspect their home and search for any clue that could lead them to Abdul Salam. However, the scene there was horrifying; destruction covered everything. After hours of searching, the father found what remained of Abdul Salam’s body, lying on the ground, decomposed by the long days under the sun and cold. “At first, I didn’t recognize him, but his clothes were the clue. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw my son like this. I collapsed where I stood, and I embraced him as if he would return to life,” says the grieving father. He adds: “Abdul Salam was always our support, and he dreamed of continuing his studies to become an engineer. Now, all that remains of us is to pray for him and all those we lost in this harsh war.”

Silent Corpses

Since the ceasefire came into effect, Civil Defense teams began recovering dozens of bodies buried under the rubble. These silent corpses conceal their stories among the destruction. Their identities remain unknown, and they are held captive by disappearance, until their graves are now referred to as “martyrs with unknown identities.” The Civil Defense in Gaza announced an urgent need for heavy, specialized equipment to recover bodies from under the rubble, pointing out that the current operations could take between two to three years at the current pace.

This tragedy, which began to unfold after the end of the war, reflects the scale of the genocide suffered by the residents of the Gaza Strip over the 15 months. There is an urgent need to support humanitarian and relief efforts to alleviate their suffering.

Ismail Thawabteh, the director-general of the Government Media Office, says that the issue of the missing “represents another tragedy added to the miseries left by the recent war,” emphasizing that “the end of the war does not mean the end of crying and pain for families who found their children and loved ones dead under the rubble and in the streets.” Thawabteh adds: “There are still hundreds of families living between the fire of anxiety and the hope of finding their missing members, amid difficult humanitarian conditions. We are witnessing horrific scenes every day, as decomposed bodies of victims are pulled from under the rubble, reflecting the depth of the humanitarian tragedy endured by our people,” calling on the international community to bear its humanitarian and legal responsibilities toward the Palestinian people in Gaza, and demanding swift provision of appropriate machinery and equipment to the Civil Defense to help recover the missing and end the suffering of the families awaiting any news about their loved ones. He continues: “This ongoing crime against humanity requires the world to stand with Gaza, not only to stop the suffering but also to ensure that such crimes are never repeated in the future.”

Source: Al-Akhbar Lebanese