Gaza- In search of her father, who has been missing for 13 days, the young Palestinian woman, Aya Sammour, moves from one place to another. She says that he is paralyzed and 67 years old. His traces were lost in Gaza City, following the Israeli army’s invasion of the Beach camp about two weeks ago.
Three days ago, people told Aya that they saw her father’s body dumped near the displacement corridor connecting the southern and northern Gaza Strip. The stories she hears increase the uncertainty about her father’s fate.
She told Al Jazeera Net, “Some people told us that they saw him 13 days ago near Al-Shifa Hospital (west of Gaza), and others told us that the occupation soldiers in their tanks opened fire on the car in which he was riding, but others said that they fired near him and not at him.”
Complaint without information
Aya currently lives with her mother in the central Gaza Strip, after being displaced with her family. She adds, “We do not know any information about my father. Is he alive, dead, or injured? We do not know anything. His name is not on the lists of martyrs or wounded in hospitals.” She points out that her father is paralyzed and suffers from heart disease, diabetes, and blood pressure.
Her mother, Siham Sammour, intervened, saying that she had filed a complaint with him International Committee of the Red Cross Three days after she lost her husband, to no avail, she added to Al Jazeera Net, “For 13 days, I have not received any information about my husband. They told us that he may have taken shelter in Al-Shifa Hospital, but all the living and dead were evacuated from the hospital.”
Missing families
The suffering of the people is not limited to the loss of people, but extends to the loss of entire families. In this regard, the young man Abdel Nour Al-Efranji, who is currently in Turkey, says that he does not know the fate of his family in Gaza, except for his father, whose martyrdom has been confirmed.
Al-Efrangi told Al-Jazeera Net, “On November 10, my family crossed Al-Shuhadaa Street, next to the famous Metro Market, and tanks opened fire on them, which led to the martyrdom of my father, whose body is still lying in the street to this day, and my mother and sister were injured.”
Since that time, Al-Efranji has been unaware of the fate of the rest of his family, numbering 11 people, including his mother and four of his siblings. He adds, “I want to know whether my family is alive or not.”
As for Nevin Douima, she lost contact with her husband and his family 23 days ago, and she tells Al Jazeera Net that she does not have any information about her husband and his family (the family of Abu Mazen Ashour), who went missing in the Sheikh Ajlin neighborhood, southwest of Gaza City.
She stated that her husband’s siblings have special needs and need to take daily medications, and added, “Some people said that Israeli tanks were close to the area, and that there were martyrs in the nearby streets.”
More than 7 thousand are missing
The previous testimonies are simple examples of the suffering of thousands of Palestinian families regarding the loss of their children as a result of the horrific war launched by Israel since the seventh of last October on the Gaza Strip.
The government media office in the Gaza Strip says that the number of missing people as a result of the war is no less than 7,000 people, distributed among people and families who are still under the rubble of homes that the occupation army demolished on the heads of their residents, individuals who were killed in the streets in cold blood and whose bodies are still lying there, and others. The army kidnapped them in the corridor it designated for the displacement of residents between the north and south of the Strip.
The role of the Red Cross
The official spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza, Hisham Muhanna, says that they receive many calls from families, reporting the loss or arrest of their children.
Regarding the mechanism of action of the Red Cross regarding these cases, Muhanna tells Al Jazeera Net, “We share with the callers the mechanism of action of the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is represented by trying to send this information about missing persons to the Israeli authorities, and trying to obtain information about their fate.” He added, “If we receive information about their fate from the Israeli side, we share it with the families only, and not publicly.”
In response to a question about the extent of the Israeli occupation’s cooperation with them regarding this issue, Muhanna replied, “I cannot disclose any information about this file, but what we can say is that we are working hard to obtain information about the fate of those who were arrested, and any information we receive from the Israeli army we share with them.” Families of detainees.
Regarding the number of inquiries received by the International Committee about missing persons, Muhanna said, “We do not have statistics that we can share through the media. This file is sensitive, and because the Red Cross’ working mechanism is known, which is an attempt to discuss with the detention authorities to maintain the principle of gaining trust, which actually qualifies us from Transferring information to the families of missing persons.
Severe psychological and social effects
The social and psychological specialist, Dr. Aroub Al-Jamala, points out that the suffering of the families of the missing is “extremely harsh,” and she tells Al-Jazeera Net, “It is neither easy nor easy for the family to go through a state of uncertainty regarding the fate of their son. The mind may not be able to comprehend the matter. The psychological effects are difficult, and include Feeling very stressed and overwhelmed.”
She stated that “Muslims and believers in God’s will and destiny have a greater ability than others to bear the horror of this tragedy,” but she adds, adding, “Despite certainty and satisfaction with God’s will, the intensity of stress may cause a state of loss of control of the nerves, a huge amount of negative thoughts and a feeling of helplessness.” “.
She warned that the suffering of the families of missing persons may increase after the end of the war, as they enter into what is known as “post-traumatic stress syndrome,” which is a condition more difficult than traumatic stress itself.
She called on the local community, the families surrounding the families of the missing, and the relevant institutions to provide them with psychological support services. She added, “They must be followed closely and deeply socially and psychologically, and programs must be created to protect them from the difficult effects they will face later.”
