Ten months after the declaration of a ceasefire, thousands of Palestinians in Gaza remain unaccounted for, leaving families in an agonizing search for answers.
Families report that neither they nor their missing relatives have any affiliation with militant groups. When contacted, the Israeli Prison Service stated they have no records of holding two specific individuals, Mahmoud al Drimli and Ahmed al Madoun, in their custody. The Israeli military, which also operates detention centers and prisons, did not provide a response when questioned about these cases.
Israel does not permit independent access for international journalists, including the BBC, to Gaza. This restriction complicates efforts to verify the status of detainees. The al Drimli family has sought the Red Cross's assistance in locating Mahmoud, but Israel does not grant the organization access to its prison records.
Tal Steiner, an Israeli lawyer specializing in locating Palestinians potentially detained by Israel, described the current situation as significantly more challenging since October 7th. "The ban on the International Red Cross visiting prisons and the fact that the ICRC itself holds no lists of people held by Israel means we have to trace them individually one by one, per request by their families," Steiner explained. "It's a big strain on the ability to find those people, today."
Steiner emphasized the profound psychological toll on families, stating, "It's an open wound. It doesn't heal. They have no rest not even knowing if their relative is dead or alive." She added that in the past three years, Israel has made tracing potential Palestinian detainees considerably more difficult, a situation that "adds insult to injury" and can have long-lasting mental health consequences for those left in uncertainty.
Majdiya al Drimli expressed her anguish, saying, "When my husband sat down and showed me the photo, I was relieved. But at the same time, I was very upset and my heart was broken when I saw my son looking like that. It was humiliating."