By Micah Jonah
January 14, 2026
Thousands of Palestinian families in Gaza are living in torment as they remain unable to confirm whether their missing relatives are alive, detained or dead inside Israel’s prison system, amid mounting accusations of enforced disappearance and severe rights abuses.
Rights organizations warn that Israel’s detention practices during the ongoing war have created what they describe as a system of deliberate uncertainty, leaving families without information for months while international monitors remain barred from access.
For many families, the pain is not only the destruction of war but the silence surrounding loved ones who vanished after arrests at checkpoints or during military operations. Relatives say they have filled countless forms and made repeated inquiries, yet receive no clear answers from Israeli authorities.
The crisis was underscored by the case of Hamza Adwan, a 67 year old father of nine, whose family was informed in January 2026 that he had died in detention four months earlier. Adwan was arrested in November 2024 despite serious health conditions. His family says they were only notified long after his death, deepening fears that delayed or withheld information is routine.
Palestinian detainee groups describe the situation as enforced disappearance, accusing Israel of deliberately withholding information as part of what they call a broader campaign of collective punishment. Families report receiving contradictory accounts, with some being told detainees are dead only to later hear from released prisoners that they were seen alive.
Human rights organizations have also accused Israel of pursuing a policy of slow execution through starvation, medical neglect and abuse in detention facilities. They warn that recent political efforts in Israel to introduce laws permitting the execution of Palestinian prisoners could further entrench extrajudicial killings under the cover of legislation.
As of January 2026, more than 9,300 Palestinians are being held in Israeli prisons. This includes thousands detained without charge or trial, as well as those classified as unlawful combatants, a status that denies them basic legal protections. At least 87 Palestinian detainees are confirmed to have died in custody since the war began, more than half of them from Gaza.
The situation is compounded by the continued exclusion of the International Committee of the Red Cross from Israeli detention centres. The ICRC has confirmed it has not been allowed to visit Palestinian detainees since October 2023, leaving families without independent verification of the health or whereabouts of their relatives.
Medical workers have also been affected. Protests were held in Gaza this week demanding the release of doctors and paramedics detained during hospital raids. Health officials say several medical professionals have died in custody, raising further alarm over conditions inside detention facilities.
Rights groups continue to call for immediate access for international monitors, transparent disclosure of detainees’ status and an end to practices they say violate international humanitarian law. For families in Gaza, the unanswered question remains painfully simple: are our loved ones alive or dead.
