We, at the Palestinian Center for Prisoners’ Advocacy, condemn the crime committed by the Israeli forces against the detained young man Majdi Anwar Abu Arra from Tubas Governorate. Israel acknowledged his death and continued to withhold his body following a year and a half of forcibly concealing his fate, without disclosing his place of detention, legal status, or fate, in a grave violation of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
Abu Arra was subjected to represents a blatant example of the crime of enforced disappearance, which Israel is increasingly using against Palestinian detainees by withholding any information about them and depriving their families of knowing their fate, only to later surprise them with announcements of their death while continuing to withhold their bodies.
This crime reflects a systematic policy adopted by the Israeli forces to keep the families of detainees in a constant state of anxiety, waiting, and psychological suffering, while using enforced disappearance as an additional means of collective punishment and revenge, in clear violation of the most basic humanitarian and legal principles.
The crime of enforced disappearance has escalated significantly since the beginning of the genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, as the fate of large numbers of detainees and missing persons remains unknown. This comes amid Israel’s refusal to provide any information regarding their places of detention or their health or legal conditions, raising serious concerns that they may be subjected to torture or martyrdom inside detention facilities.
The continued withholding of the body of Abu Arra after the announcement of his death represents an extension of Israel’s policy of punishment against his family, and adds to a series of violations that attack human dignity even after death.
We call on the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, and all international human rights institutions to take urgent action to pressure Israel to reveal the fate of all missing and forcibly disappeared persons, release the withheld bodies, and ensure that families are able to know the fate of their loved ones.
We also call for independent international investigations into the crimes of enforced disappearance committed by Israeli forces against Palestinians, and for holding those responsible accountable, as these are grave crimes that are not subject to any statute of limitations.
In conclusion, the policy of enforced disappearance has become one of the most dangerous tools used by the Israeli forces against Palestinians. Continued international silence regarding this crime encourages Israel to expand its scope and doubles the suffering of thousands of families still waiting to know the fate of their loved ones.
The Palestinian Center for Prisoners’ Advocacy
