The disappeared of Gaza (with Podcast)

JVL Introduction

People are missing in Gaza and “The missing are not only the dead. They include people taken during military raids, last seen at checkpoints or aid distribution sites, disappeared into detention, or erased by extreme heat that leaves no recoverable remains. … this uncertainty is not an unavoidable consequence of war — it is the result of documented, deliberate decisions: restrictions on forensic equipment entering Gaza, the Red Cross being barred from visiting prisoners, and the withholding of information about those in Israeli custody.”

Estimates indicate that c. 15,000 – or more – are missing from the lists of those known to have been killed or kidnapped by Israel. This podcast delves into the story about those who have disappeared from Gaza. (There is also a transcript below the introductory article). It shows that it is nearly impossible to get the support needed without being to show a body or have witnesses who saw a body.

This is also a story of the destruction of the Gazan infrastructure, both formal and informal. As Mahmoud Mushtaha says in this conversation with Ghousoon Bisharat “…before October 7 was not the situation. People were generous. People were living in dignity, were living a good life. There was a blockade and siege on Gaza, but there was a good social fabric. People were connected. But after October 7, what happens to Gaza, no one can imagine and no one can bear it.”

LL

This article was originally published by +972 The Landline Podcast on Fri 17 Apr 2026. Read the original here.