On this International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, we are reminded of the heartbreaking reality faced by the people of #Gaza, where the brutal war has not only claimed thousands of lives but has also led to enforced disappearances. Families are left in anguish, unsure whether their loved ones are dead or alive, as many are forcibly taken or go missing amidst the chaos. In Gaza, enforced disappearances are yet another weapon of war, used to strip individuals and communities of their security and hope. As we honor the victims worldwide and stand in solidarity with their families, we must also highlight the ongoing devastation in Gaza, where entire families are torn apart, and many are left with no answers. The number of Palestinian victims of enforced disappearance by the Israeli occupying power are estimated to be in the thousands; they include Gaza workers with permits, who had been in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023*, health workers abducted from hospitals, human rights defenders, journalists, women, children and the elderly. Now more than ever, we must raise our voices for those who have disappeared and demand justice for the people of Gaza.
You can take action to demand the release of all those arbitrarily detained and held incommunicado in violation of the most fundamental rules of international humanitarian and human rights law by raising the issue in and through your union, political party, faith group, or any other representative body or movement of which you are a member, and/or take part in the advocacy actions launched by Amnesty International in many countries on behalf of Palestinian victims and victims from other countries.
#EndEnforcedDisappearances#EndIsraeliImpunity
* Note: Although over 4000 Gazan workers were released by Israel into the Gaza Strip after weeks or months of illegal detention, mistreatment and torture, without access to legal counsel or ICRC visits, the chaos caused by the mass displacement of over 90% of Gaza’s population, the ongoing war, as well as Israel’s policy of holding Gaza detainees incommunicado, makes it impossible to ascertain if all Gaza workers are accounted for or not.
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