{"id":663,"date":"2026-01-13T17:03:56","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T10:03:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/?p=663"},"modified":"2026-01-13T17:07:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T10:07:54","slug":"families-in-gaza-face-agonising-uncertainty-over-missing-relatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/?p=663","title":{"rendered":"Families in Gaza Face Agonising Uncertainty Over Missing Relatives","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"
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For thousands of Palestinian families in Gaza<\/a><\/strong>, the war has brought more than destruction and loss. It has also created a painful silence around the fate of relatives who disappeared after being detained by Israeli forces.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know if he is alive or dead,\u201d said the wife of Abdul Rahman, a young man who vanished in January. \u201cWe filled out many forms, asked everywhere, but no one tells us anything. Still, we hold on to hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

Families describe living in a constant state of uncertainty, unable to grieve or to reunite, trapped between rumours and unanswered questions.<\/p>\n

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Delayed Death Notices Raise Alarm<\/strong><\/h4>\n

That uncertainty was brought into sharp focus this week with the case of Hamza Adwan, a 67-year-old detainee whose family was informed on Sunday that he had died in custody\u2014four months after his actual death.<\/p>\n

Adwan, a father of nine, was arrested at a checkpoint in November 2024. His family says he suffered from serious heart conditions and required ongoing medical care. Despite this, he was detained. According to relatives, he died on September 9, 2025, but the family was only notified months later.<\/p>\n

Rights groups say such delays are not rare and reflect a broader pattern of enforced disappearance, where families are left without reliable information for extended periods.<\/p>\n

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Conflicting Accounts and Emotional Limbo<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Testimonies collected from families reveal a confusing and often contradictory system. The father of Amro, arrested in December 2024, said officials initially told him his son had died in custody. Later, released detainees claimed they had seen Amro alive after that date.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe live between fear and hope,\u201d the father said. \u201cEvery day we wonder what is really happening to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Families say the lack of clear information takes a severe psychological toll, leaving them unable to move forward.<\/p>\n

\"Families<\/p>\n

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Allegations of Systematic Abuse<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Commission of Detainees\u2019 Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner\u2019s Society accuse Israel of pursuing policies that amount to slow and deliberate harm, including medical neglect, starvation and abuse in detention.<\/p>\n

They warn that deaths in custody have increased sharply since the war began, coinciding with political efforts in Israel to advance legislation that could allow the execution of Palestinian prisoners. Rights groups argue such moves would formalise practices that already violate international law.<\/p>\n

Most detainees, they note, are held without charge or trial.<\/p>\n

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Detention by the Numbers<\/strong><\/h4>\n

According to the latest figures released by Palestinian<\/a><\/strong> prisoner organisations, more than 9,300 Palestinians were being held in Israeli prisons as of January 2026.<\/p>\n

Among them are:<\/p>\n