Palestinian children continue missing in Gaza: Child rights group says
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Gaza: A report by a Palestinian rights group on Wednesday said that at least six children from Gaza have disappeared in recent months, maktoobmedia.com reported.
The families of the disappeared children fear that they were detained by Israeli forces during its military operations in the region.
Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP) stated in its report that children had gone missing as they searched for food or attempting to return home during the chaos of destruction and displacement.
The missing children according to the rights group are Siraj Ismail Fayeq Abdel Aal, 16; Mahmoud Jihad Hasan Abu Warda, 14; Saadi Mohammad Saadi Hasanain, 16; Jamal Nihad Jamil Ayyad, 13; Haitham Mohammad Jamil Al-Masri, 17; and Saifan-Allah Fahd Awni Ayash, 16.
DCIP’s accountability program director Ayed Abu Eqtaish said that ‘Israeli forces are disappearing Palestinian children under the cover of starvation and siege’, adding that ‘Families are searching for their children with no answers, while Israel continues to conceal the identities and locations of Gaza detainees’.
Of the six boys vanished between February 2024 and October 2025, some were last seen near destroyed homes or checkpoints, while others went missing during displacement, according to DCIP.
One of the missing children, the16-year-old Saadi Hasanain went missing on October 22 after reaching the area of his demolished house in order to collect belongings with his family later finding his phone, clothes and traces of blood.
Israeli forces reportedly detained another boy, identified as 16-year-old Saifan-Allah Ayash, who suffers from epilepsy, in June 2025 after leaving a mosque in central Gaza.
His family came to know through the Red Cross that he was being held in Asqalan Prison.
The report said that ‘Parents searching for their children are left in anguish, receiving no confirmation or acknowledgment from Israeli authorities.’
Israel has not yet responded to the reports of missing cases of children.
The Israeli military previously admitted that it detained individuals for suspected involvement in militant activities and treated them according to international law.