Gaza Families Continue Searching for Loved Ones Missing Beneath Rubble
(MENAFN) Thousands of Palestinian families are still waiting for information about relatives who disappeared during years of war and widespread destruction in Gaza, with many having no clear indication of whether their loved ones are alive, detained or buried beneath the ruins.
The search has become increasingly difficult because of the enormous amount of destruction across the territory. According to reports, the United Nations estimates that millions of tonnes of debris have accumulated in Gaza, while Palestinian Civil Defense puts the number of people still missing beneath the rubble at more than 8,000.
For many families, the uncertainty makes it impossible even to determine where to begin looking. Some missing people may remain trapped beneath collapsed buildings, while others could have been detained or remain otherwise unaccounted for. As a result, families are left without the certainty needed to conduct burials or to know whether there is still hope of a reunion.
Pat Griffiths, spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Jerusalem, said families have gathered at hospitals when buses carrying released Palestinian detainees arrive in Gaza.
Some relatives bring photographs of people who have disappeared, hoping to learn whether they are among those being released or whether they have been killed.
ICRC psychologists describe this prolonged uncertainty as "ambiguous loss.”
The search has become increasingly difficult because of the enormous amount of destruction across the territory. According to reports, the United Nations estimates that millions of tonnes of debris have accumulated in Gaza, while Palestinian Civil Defense puts the number of people still missing beneath the rubble at more than 8,000.
For many families, the uncertainty makes it impossible even to determine where to begin looking. Some missing people may remain trapped beneath collapsed buildings, while others could have been detained or remain otherwise unaccounted for. As a result, families are left without the certainty needed to conduct burials or to know whether there is still hope of a reunion.
Pat Griffiths, spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Jerusalem, said families have gathered at hospitals when buses carrying released Palestinian detainees arrive in Gaza.
Some relatives bring photographs of people who have disappeared, hoping to learn whether they are among those being released or whether they have been killed.
ICRC psychologists describe this prolonged uncertainty as "ambiguous loss.”
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