Ramallah, August 21, 2025—Palestinian children have gone missing while searching for aid in north Gaza this summer.
Five Palestinian boys between the ages of 12 and 16, residing in Gaza City, went missing in separate incidents between June 24 and August 2, 2025, according to documentation collected by Defense for Children International - Palestine. DCIP interviewed the boys’ families, who have continually searched hospitals and morgues for their sons’ bodies and have found no signs of them. Each of the boys disappeared while in the Zikim border area, located in north Gaza, which has a crossing where aid trucks cross into Gaza. The families fear their children have been abducted and disappeared by Israeli forces.
“Israeli forces are shooting, detaining, and disappearing Palestinian children seeking aid in Gaza,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP. “Israeli forces have refused to disclose the numbers, names, and whereabouts of Palestinian children from Gaza in military custody, and these children have had no contact with the outside world. We have more than two decades of evidence indicating that Israeli forces torture Palestinian children in military detention. All of these children must be released and reunited with their families immediately.”
“Each day, we go back [to the hospitals] when new bodies are brought in, yet I fear he maynot be a martyr,” said the mother of 16-year-old Zain Suhail Said Dahman, who disappeared on July 27 while seeking aid at the Zikim border area in north Gaza. “We have been tracking the bodies from the day he disappeared until now, and he has not been found among them.”
The Zikim area is located on the northwest border of Gaza, where the World Food Programme provides aid trucked in from Israel. This deadly area has seen more than 550 people killed while trying to acquire aid. Most are shot by Israeli snipers, while some have been crushed under the trucks. The aid rarely makes it to the warehouse, as desperate crowds offload the trucks as soon as they enter the area. The WFP reports that while Israel allows 45 trucks to enter Zikim daily, the actual number is often fewer, fueling desperation and fatal incidents.
12-year-old Musab Hussein Ziad Alyan went missing on August 2 around 4:30 p.m., when he left his family’s residence to play near his aunt’s house, according to documentation collected by DCIP. Musab’s cousin was the last person to see him, holding on to a taxi heading toward the Bahloul intersection, which leads to the Zikim border area.
“I suspect my son went in that direction because he noticed people carrying food, so he decided to follow them,” Musab’s mother told DCIP. “After that, my son vanished, and no one has seen him since, even after we shared his disappearance on social media and posted his picture in hopes that someone might have seen him.”
“On the day of the incident, numerous trucks filled with aid arrived,” his mother said. “From what we could see, there were no fatalities or significant injuries reported that day, and everyone was able to receive assistance. I personally visited the ambulance service present, and the driver informed me that all the martyrs were over the age of 16.”
Musab’s family became increasingly worried and began to search the hospitals in case he was injured or killed.
“I have a sister who works as a nurse, and she reached out to her contacts in various hospitals to locate him, but unfortunately, we were unable to find him,” Musab’s mother said. “By around 10 a.m. the next morning, I inquired with my sister about his whereabouts, but she informed me that he had not returned and she hadn’t even seen him. My husband visited Al-Shifa Hospital, the Baptist Hospital, and Al-Saraya Hospital, searching through every hospital’s records, including Hamad Hospital, yet we still had no information on his location.”
“We speculated that he might have gone back to the ruins of our home in Jabalia, prompting his younger brothers to venture there, risking their safety, but they too came back empty-handed,” Musab’s mother continued. “His father and I then traveled to Zikim ourselves, but we were still unable to find him.”
“On one occasion, Musab shared with me that he had come very near to the army and witnessed them eating bread and drinking cola,” Musab’s mother said. “He mentioned he was planning to ask them for some food because he was extremely hungry.”
“Lately, there has been a trend where, after the trucks have been emptied and the army has retreated, young men move forward to collect the leftover food, bullets, and other items left behind by the army,” she said. “I believe he likely did the same due to his hunger. Some witnesses reported that individuals moved in, but the army encircled them and took them into custody. I have a strong feeling my son was among them, as he was particularly focused on finding food and had previously gotten too close to the tank.”
16-year-old Zain Suhail Said Dahman disappeared on July 27 around 10 a.m. after leaving home that morning to search for aid at the Zikim border area, according to documentation collected by DCIP. Zain went to Zikim with his sister’s brother-in-law, who witnessed gunfire around 10 a.m., causing the crowd to scatter, followed by Israeli tanks that arrived to the area around 11 a.m.
“At 10 p.m., I ventured out to search for Zain at Al-Shifa Hospital,” Zain’s mother told DCIP. “I checked the morgue, but he was nowhere to be found. I looked at the reception area, yet there was no sign of him being injured. Next, we headed to the Red Crescent, but still, he was missing. We then went to Sheikh Radwan Clinic, but he was not there either. The Baptist Hospital doesn’t even have a morgue. The following day, my eldest son attempted to find his brother in Zikim, but Palestinian security forces stopped him due to heavy security around the aid supply.”
“We held onto the hope that he might be hiding, believing he would surface once more aid arrived,” Zain’s mother continued. “We began visiting the area daily, but our search yielded no results. They did recover several bodies from the area after my son went missing, but he was not among them. Each day, we go back when new bodies are brought in, yet I fear he may not be a martyr. We have been tracking the bodies from the day he disappeared until now, and he has not been found among them.
Zain went to the Zikim border area the day before his disappearance, seeking aid, where he was detained by Israeli forces for several hours.
“The Israeli army apprehended him along with a group of children for three hours without any investigation,” his mother said. “They were eventually released. He recounted that they were calling out to the army for flour. The army instructed them to come closer, leading them to believe that help was on the way. However, as soon as they approached, the army detained them without providing any water or food.”
15-year-old Ibrahim Mohammad Mohammad Abu Zaher went missing on July 17 around 1:30 p.m. after leaving the house to search for aid in the Zikim border area, according to documentation collected by DCIP. Around 10 p.m., his father and brothers went out to search for him.
“We headed towards the Zikim area, where we were informed that there were no martyrs in the vicinity and that the total number of martyrs that day was minimal, around four to six, all of whom had been taken to Al-Shifa Hospital,” Ibrahim’s father told DCIP. “We proceeded to Al-Shifa Hospital and searched the morgue, but he was not among the martyrs. We also checked the operating room and the ward for the injured, but he was nowhere to be found.”
“I remained at the hospital until 1 a.m., sifting through the unidentified bodies until I was convinced he was not there,” his father continued. “That night, I could not sleep. After the dawn prayer, I returned to Al-Shifa Hospital and meticulously searched through all the bodies again. Still, I did not locate him. I then visited the Baptist Hospital, Al-Quds Hospital, Al-Saraya Hospital, and even Shuhada Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, but I have yet to uncover any sign of him.”
“A young man encountered Ibrahim at Zikim,” Ibraim’s father said. “He noticed him drinking water there and informed me that he was near the army, where my son showed no fear in moving towards them. Eyewitnesses present that day reported that arrests occurred as tanks moved in, encircling a group of individuals and transporting them to an undisclosed location.”
Ibrahim frequently went to seek aid at the Zikim border area, his family told DCIP, sharing what he managed to acquire with everyone in the family. Sometimes he returned with flour, sugar, or canned goods, but he was often robbed, once having an entire bag of flour stolen. Despite this, he continued to go nearly every day, distributing food among relatives who were also struggling under dire conditions.
“Ibrahim was like my right-hand man,” Ibrahim’s father said. “He was very intelligent and had previously been injured while we were displaced in Deir al-Balah. He made significant efforts to assist me and took on various jobs, including selling iced water on the street to help cover living expenses.”
13-year-old Khaled Ramzi Adnan Saleh disappeared on July 15 around 9 a.m. after searching for firewood in the Zikim border area with his adult brother, Luai, who went missing at the same time, according to documentation collected by DCIP. Two of Khaled’s other brothers went out earlier in the morning to collect aid while Khaled and Luai went to collect firewood.
“While Luai’s mental capabilities are somewhat limited, Khaled was mature for his age and persuaded his older brother to join him in collecting firewood for cooking,” their mother told DCIP. Their father was the last person to see the brothers.
“By around 1:30 p.m., they still had not returned,” their mother said. “They were not usually late at such an hour. This is when our concern began to grow, but we reassured ourselves that they might have been delayed while gathering firewood.”
“What stands out in my memory is that on that day, there were numerous attacks in the Zikim area,” she continued. “We waited until 3 p.m. What gave us the most comfort was the fact that they had left without having breakfast and would surely return out of hunger. As the sun set, we began to search and visited Al-Shifa Hospital, the Baptist Hospital, Al-Quds Hospital, Al-Hilal Hospital, and Al-Saraya Hospital. We did not find their names in any of the hospitals.”
“That night, we went to the Zikim area and started shouting at the top of our lungs,” their mother told DCIP. “No one responded.”
“Luai is known to be a timid and fearful individual, whereas Khaled often asserted, ‘I’m young; even if the drone spots me, they won’t target me,’” their mother said. “We have completely lost track of Khaled and Luai. There are no remains or injuries to be found. We have reached out to all relatives and hospitals, but there has been no indication of their whereabouts. We fear they may have been taken captive while gathering firewood.”
14-year-old Anas Eid Mahmoud Al-Sayed went missing on June 24 around 11:30 p.m. after seeking aid at the Zikim border area with his 13-year-old cousin Mohammad, who returned home without him, according to documentation collected by DCIP.
“Mohammad recounted that they were both gathering firewood, and he was carrying a bag of firewood on his head,” Anas’ mother told DCIP. “Suddenly, the Israeli army began shooting at them directly. Mohammad managed to escape and fled to the sea, while my son remained behind, moving towards the youths stationed in Zikim, near the army. Mohammad mentioned that he called out to Anas several times, but Anas did not respond or hear him.”
Early the next morning, Anas’ mother went to search for him at Zikim while his aunt searched in nearby hospitals.
“His father and a group of relatives had also come to look for him, but we still couldn’t find him,” Anas’ mother continued. “I spoke with a group of people present, and they informed us that several individuals had been arrested after they were seen surrendering to the Israeli army.”
“A week before his disappearance, Anas visited a lentil takiya close to his uncle’s residence,” Anas’ mother told DCIP. “There, someone accidentally spilled a pot of lentils, resulting in burns on his back and feet.” Just a week before that, he fell from a sycamore tree while gathering fruit in the Sheikh Radwan area, fracturing his foot and requiring treatment at Al-Shifa Hospital.
“All of Anas’ efforts were aimed at securing food,” she said. “The period of famine was incredibly challenging for us. Our home was fully destroyed by the Israeli army in Jabalia, forcing us to relocate multiple times, all while lacking a source of income.”
Transfer of Palestinian detainees, including children, to prisons and interrogation and detention facilities inside Israel, even for brief periods, constitutes an unlawful transfer in violation of Article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and constitutes a war crime in violation of Article 8(2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
According to the 2006 International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the “enforced disappearance” is considered “to be the arrest, detention, abduction or any other form of deprivation of liberty ... followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or by concealment of the fate or whereabouts of the disappeared person ...” and actions that resemble forced disappearance are considered international crimes punishable by law, depending on its extreme seriousness.
According to the Convention, forced disappearance qualifies as a crime that rises to “crimes against humanity” if it is carried out extensively or systematically on a large scale, which is exactly what the Israeli army forces are practicing by penetrating in all areas of the Gaza Strip, where they have arrested hundreds, and continue to held many of them in Israeli military prisons, along with thousands of Palestinian people whose fate is still unknown.
The enforced disappearance of Palestinian children amidst the ongoing war in Gaza is a serious breach of international law. The Israeli practice of forcibly disappearing Palestinian children is prohibited under the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which Israel has not ratified, but is still bound by customary international law. However, Israel has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which forbids the ill-treatment and torture of children, and instructs that deprivation of liberty should only be used as a last resort.
