The Palestinian Center for Missing and Forcibly Disappeared Persons has raised urgent concerns over the sharp rise in missing individuals in Gaza, as Israeli occupation forces intensify their military operations across the besieged enclave. Since the early hours of Tuesday, March 18, relentless airstrikes and ground incursions have devastated residential areas and critical infrastructure, leaving civil defense teams unable to reach victims trapped under the rubble.  

In a statement released on Saturday, the center highlighted the growing risk of enforced disappearances, particularly as Israeli forces expand their ground operations into new areas of Gaza. The statement warned that Palestinian civilians are increasingly at risk of being detained and held in undisclosed locations, with no information provided about their whereabouts or well-being—a clear violation of international humanitarian law.  

The ongoing military assault has severely hindered humanitarian efforts to recover bodies and locate missing persons. Israeli forces have blocked rescue teams from accessing bombarded areas, leaving families in agonizing uncertainty about the fate of their loved ones.  

The center called on the international community to intervene immediately, urging pressure on Israel to cease its targeting of civilians, allow unrestricted access for rescue operations, and disclose the fate of all detainees and forcibly disappeared individuals. It also demanded independent investigations into cases of enforced disappearances and other violations committed against Gaza’s civilian population.  

Furthermore, the center reiterated its call for Israel to reveal the fate of those forcibly disappeared in its prisons, identify those killed, and disclose the locations of bodies held in mass graves, temporary burial sites, or the so-called “cemeteries of numbers.”  

The statement underscored the urgent need for intensified international efforts to address this humanitarian crisis, which continues to inflict immense suffering on thousands of Palestinian families.  

For the fifth consecutive day, Israel has continued its aggressive military campaign in Gaza, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of a ceasefire agreement and refusal to engage in the second phase of negotiations. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the violence has claimed the lives of 634 Palestinians and injured 1,172 since Tuesday, with 130 martyrs and 263 injured reported in the past 48 hours alone.  

The escalating violence and rising number of missing persons have deepened the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, prompting renewed calls for accountability and justice.