SAFA - Since the first moment of the temporary truce on November 24, 2023, Najwa Khalil and her husband Zaki Barakat (57) have held on to one hope that never leaves their hearts: the return of their sons, Yusuf (27) and Hassan (25), who went missing while heading to check on their home in the Al-Tawam area, north of the Gaza Strip.

Khalil recounts that the withdrawal of occupation forces from Al-Tawam toward the sea prompted the family to go to their home to check on it. However, they were surprised to find occupation soldiers in the street, after which the path taken by their two sons became separated from that of the rest of the family.

She told Felesteen newspaper: “Some people told us that Yusuf and Hassan had reached the house, where they saw an Israeli military jeep parked in front of it. They confirmed that the soldiers took two young men who were wearing only their underwear and took them away with them. Since then, all news about them has been cut off.”

Hassan and Yusuf

In the first days, the family did not realize that their sons had become missing persons. They believed the two had hidden in one of the nearby houses until the occupation forces left the area. But as time passed, anxiety began to take over, and they started searching for them everywhere.

Khalil says, "We went to hospitals looking for any information. We checked the names of the wounded and the martyrs and asked about anyone who had arrived from the areas where the occupation forces were present, but we found no information about Yusuf and Hassan.”

Days later, the family began communicating with international and human rights organizations, foremost among them the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, Al-Dameer Foundation and other human rights institutions, demanding information about the fate of their sons.

She explains, "Every organization we contacted told us that there was no information, but the question that always follows us is: Where did our sons go? And what happened to them?”

About a month after their disappearance, the family returned to their destroyed home, searching for any trace that could lead them to their sons, but they found nothing. There was no evidence or sign indicating where they might be.

With signs of confusion visible on her face, the mother says that some released detainees confirmed they had heard the names of Yusuf and Hassan during their detention, while others said they had seen people who resembled them, but without any confirmed information the family could rely on.

She adds: “We received some reports from different sources saying that they are being held in occupation prisons, including information conveyed through the Egyptian side, but we need official confirmation from the Red Cross to reassure us about their condition.”

An Unknown Fate

Their father, Zaki, told Felesteen newspaper that the absence of his sons has left a huge void within the family, especially since he relied on them to manage household affairs and daily life. He stressed that the hardest thing a father can face is not knowing the fate of his children.

He adds: “We live between pain and hope. Every time the names of released prisoners are announced, we search for our sons’ names. When we do not find them, we feel as if they have disappeared from the world. But any piece of information that reaches us brings our hope back again.”

The parents sent a message to the International Committee of the Red Cross and international institutions, saying, "Put yourselves in the place of the families of the missing. We are not asking for the impossible; we only want to know the fate of our children. Knowing the truth is more merciful than this long wait.”

The mother adds sadly: “We know where a martyr is and we bid farewell to him. We know the condition of the wounded and treat them. But the prisoner or missing person leaves his family trapped in the fire of waiting, especially with what we hear about detention conditions and the crimes committed inside prisons.”

After more than 46 days of the Israeli genocide on the Gaza Strip, a four-day truce began on November 24, 2023, and was extended for two additional days. It included a prisoner exchange before the occupation resumed its genocidal war on Gaza.

Khalil appeals to the international community to take serious action and pressure the occupation forces to reveal the fate of all the missing persons, stressing that the matter is not limited to his family but to thousands of families who are experiencing the same ordeal.

The mother concludes her message to her sons with emotion: “I miss you, my sons. I hope a message reaches me telling me that you are well. We are waiting for the day when we see you return home. All we have now is hope and prayers that God Almighty reunites us once again.”