GAZA, (PIC)
Amid the war and destruction, heartbreaking human stories emerge, unanswered and unresolved. One such story is that of 28-year-old Abdul Rahman Mahmoud Jarboa, who went missing on October 7, 2023. He was not a fighter, nor was he part of any evacuation effort. He had simply stepped outside to see what was happening after hearing the sounds of bombing and clashes—unaware that it would be the last time his family would ever see him.
His aunt, Fatima Muammar, told a reporter from the Palestinian Information Center:
“He has nothing to do with anything, he just went out to check the situation and never came back.”
A wife without a provider and a child who never saw his father
Abdul Rahman left behind a wife struggling to survive in a tent without support and two young children—one of whom was less than 40 days old when his father disappeared. Today, his wife faces dire humanitarian conditions, with no source of income and barely enough aid to sustain her. His father, a heart patient who has undergone open-heart surgery, clings to the hope of hearing any news. His mother had already passed away. The family clings to a slim hope of receiving any news about his fate.
His grieving aunt added:
“The Red Cross says they have no information about him. We don’t know if he is detained, missing, or … we don’t even want to think of the worst.”
A desperate plea for answers
The Jarboa family is urgently calling on human rights and humanitarian organizations to uncover Abdul Rahman’s fate amid the uncertainty surrounding thousands of missing persons in Gaza.
“We just need any news, any clue, just to understand what happened to Abdul Rahman,” they repeat with both pain and hope.
Another unresolved fate: Abdul Aziz Izzat Joudeh
Like Abdul Rahman, the fate of 67-year-old Abdul Aziz Izzat Joudeh remains unknown. He vanished in late September 2023 near northern Nuseirat refugee camp, an area heavily occupied by Israeli forces near the Al-Shuhada axis (Netzarim).
In late September, Abdul Aziz was with another person near the Gaza Electricity Company in northern Nuseirat when he suddenly disappeared. The other person was later found dead, but Abdul Aziz was nowhere to be found. Some of his personal belongings—his bicycle, mobile phone, and flashlight—were discovered, yet they provided no answer to the pressing question: Where is Abdul Aziz?
A life of struggle that ended in uncertainty
Abdul Aziz lived under extremely harsh conditions. With no stable income, he relied on collecting olives and searching the land for anything that could help him feed his family and grandchildren. He lived in a rented asbestos-sheet house, enduring years of instability until the war and destruction in Nuseirat forced him to leave.
His nephew recalls:
“Despite his extreme poverty, Abdul Aziz was known for his generosity and hospitality. He always shared whatever little he had with his family and neighbors—even if it was just a few fruits or vegetables. His humanity shone through even in the toughest times, and he remained a pillar of hope for his family despite all the hardships.”
The family’s plea: answer the painful question
After Abdul Aziz disappeared, his family’s world fell apart. They now live in constant grief and unbearable anxiety. They are appealing to authorities and international organizations to investigate his fate and provide them with any answers—whether he is a prisoner or a martyr.
A family member says:
“Abdul Aziz was everything to us. He was the backbone of our home. We need to know what happened to him, even if it means hearing painful news. We just want to know so we can finally close this wound that has haunted us for months.”
Gaza’s cry to the world
The stories of Abdul Rahman and Abdul Aziz are not unique; they are part of a much larger tragedy affecting hundreds of Palestinian families searching for their loved ones amid war and destruction. In a world overflowing with news, the families of the missing cling to the hope that one day, an answer will finally come—an answer to the painful question: Where are our sons?
