Elham Asaad Buaras
The Israeli army abducted Palestinian children and moved them out of the Gaza Strip, reported a human rights watchdog on December 2.
The Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said that it “takes very seriously the information published by Israeli Army Radio on January 1, 2024, regarding the kidnapping of a Palestinian infant from inside her Gaza family home by Israeli officer Harel Itach, a commander in the Givati Brigade, after the killing of her family members.”
“Following the news that the Israeli officer died on December 22, 2023, from injuries sustained during fighting in Gaza, a friend of Itach’s reported the kidnapping incident and said that the little girl’s whereabouts remain unknown,” it added.
It expressed “deep fear and concern,” saying the Palestinian infant’s plight is not unique.
“Numerous testimonies that the rights group has received say that the Israeli army regularly detains and transfers Palestinian children without disclosing their whereabouts,” it noted.
Citing the “horrific crime of kidnapping children” as well as “the recent mysterious disappearance of hundreds of Palestinian detainees” from the Gaza Strip, the rights group highlighted that the international community must bear its responsibilities and apply pressure on Israel in order to ensure the safe return of all victims.
Citing “alarming reports” from many Palestinian families who have lost contact with their children, it was noted that these reports are mainly from areas where Israeli ground incursions are occurring.
“More than 7,000 Palestinians—mostly women and children—are reportedly missing, amid chaos caused by the difficulty of removing bodies from the rubble, the near-total disruption of communications and the Internet across most of the Strip, and the forced displacement of the vast majority of Gazan families,” it added.
Pointing out that while most of the missing cases are believed to have perished beneath the rubble of homes targeted by Israeli airstrikes, some are believed to be lost on the streets or have vanished from neighbourhoods where Israeli army ground incursions took place.
The rights group shared accounts of Rushdi Al-Zhaza, who was recently released from Israeli detention after being detained with his family from their home in the south of Gaza City a month ago and stated that the fate of his wife and two children remains unclear.
“Al-Zhaza explained that the Israeli army detained him, his wife Hadeel Youssef Al-Dahdouh, and their two children, four-year-old Mohamed and six-month-old Zein, while they were inside their own house… Weeks later, the soldiers released Al-Zhaza without disclosing the whereabouts or health status of his wife or either of their children.”
Euro-Med reported that a 12-year-old girl with blonde hair was halted by Israeli forces while being evacuated from Gaza City to the south of the Wadi Gaza Nature Reserve through the Netzarim border a few weeks ago.
The woman observed the girl’s parents attempt to intervene, after which the troops informed them that the youngster would be taken away on suspicion of being an Israeli captive, despite the fact that she spoke Arabic and was accompanied by her parents.
“The woman had to continue to walk and said that she did not know what happened to the child or her parents,” it said.
According to Euro-Med, many displaced families from northern Gaza or the Khan Yunis incursion areas have reported losing their children during evacuations or airstrikes on homes.
It asked for prompt action to cease the arbitrary arrest and forced disappearance of hundreds of Palestinian detainees from the Gaza Strip, reminding nations that, given the gravity of the situation, enforced disappearance must be considered a crime punishable by law with appropriate sanctions.
Photo: Expressing “deep fear and concern,” the rights group said the case of the kidnapped Palestinian infant is not an isolated one. Pictured are displaced Palestinian children in empty areas in Rafah, Gaza, on December 27, 2023. (Credit: Abed Zagout/AA)
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