On a night in late December 2024, it seemed like any other night for the family of Mohammad Jamal Atiya Banat. But that night turned into the beginning of a long nightmare with no end in sight.

The 38-year-old father left home and never returned, disappearing under mysterious circumstances without a trace, leaving behind a devastated wife and six children waiting for his return without any answers.

The Mysterious Disappearance – Where is Mohammad Jamal?

In Jabalia, where he went missing during the Israeli incursion, no confirmed information has surfaced about his fate. His name did not appear on any arrest lists, and his family received no calls or news about him. He simply vanished, as if the earth had swallowed him whole.

His wife, with a voice heavy with sorrow, says, “No one told us anything. We searched everywhere, asked everyone we know, but there’s no trace. We don’t know if he’s alive or dead, we don’t even know where to look.”

A Family Without a Father… and Children Asking Without Answers

Days pass painfully slow for Mohammad’s family. His young children constantly ask, “When is Daddy coming home?” Every moment they expect him to open the door, hear his voice, and feel his embrace, just like he used to do. But the only answer they receive is silence.

“I tried to tell them that he had traveled, to spare them the burden of this pain,” his wife says, “but they are too smart to believe it. They look into my eyes, knowing that I’m hiding the truth.”

The Family’s Unending Pain

Every day that passes only deepens the sorrow and mystery for Mohammad’s family. They have no answers about his fate, nor can they hold on to false hope. The absence of their father becomes more and more unbearable for the children and his wife, who faces the double pain of both emotional loss and his physical absence.