Gaza Herald– The Palestinian Center for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared (PCMFD) has voiced deep alarm over the disappearance of nine-year-old Jalal Ahmed Al-Bursh near the so-called “Yellow Line” in the northern Gaza Strip, urging humanitarian and international organizations to launch urgent efforts to clarify the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and establish his whereabouts.
According to the Center, Jalal has been missing since Saturday, May 30, 2026. Information gathered so far indicates that the child left to play with his siblings in an area close to the Yellow Line, near the location where the family is currently sheltering, before disappearing without a trace.
PCMFD stressed that Jalal’s medical condition significantly heightens concerns for his safety. In testimony submitted to the Center, the family explained that the child is autistic, nonverbal, and unable to recognize or respond appropriately to dangerous situations, making him particularly vulnerable.
The Center further explained that Jalal’s family is living under extremely difficult humanitarian conditions in a tent in the Bir Al-Na’ja area of northern Gaza. His father, Ahmed Al-Bursh, told the Center that their shelter is located approximately one kilometer from the Yellow Line. Based on information collected during the family’s search, he believes his son is headed toward the restricted military zone. Those concerns intensified after a nearby grocery store owner, whose shop lies roughly 100 meters from the line, informed the family that Jalal had purchased a bottle of juice before continuing in the direction of the area bordering the Yellow Line.
PCMFD said extensive search operations have been carried out since the child’s disappearance. Civil defense crews and forensic specialists were called to inspect a nearby building after reports of a foul odor raised fears that Jalal might have been trapped beneath collapsed structures. However, forensic investigators later determined that the smell originated from the carcass of a dead animal rather than human remains.
Describing the family’s ordeal, which has continued for more than 35 days, Ahmed Al-Bursh said they have endured relentless emotional suffering while searching for their son without interruption. He recalled one particularly devastating moment when a human rights organization contacted the family claiming that Jalal had been found. Upon arriving at the arranged location, however, they discovered that the child was not their son, leaving the family heartbroken and forcing them to relive their anguish once again.
The Center warned that incidents of enforced disappearance continue to be documented despite the ceasefire that has been in effect since October 2025. It noted that areas surrounding the Yellow Line remain the scene of repeated disappearances, while rescue teams and local authorities are unable to conduct comprehensive search operations because of ongoing security threats and Israeli restrictions preventing access to those locations.
PCMFD also highlighted the broader humanitarian conditions created by Israeli military control and the widespread destruction across Gaza. It noted that the extensive devastation of residential neighborhoods has left only around 30 percent of the Strip’s territory suitable for habitation. With virtually no alternative shelter available, thousands of displaced Palestinians have been forced to establish camps dangerously close to the Yellow Line despite the severe risks, contributing to recurring incidents involving killings, injuries, and disappearances.
The child’s father also shared eyewitness accounts received during the search. He said several residents reported seeing a child crossing the Yellow Line through the Al-Omari and Al-Jaran areas toward Al-Qarm and Salah al-Din, east of Jabalia. Although they were unable to pursue the child because of the dangers posed by the area, those witnesses told the family that the child they observed closely resembled Jalal after viewing his photograph.
According to estimates released by the Center, approximately 1,500 people have been subjected to enforced disappearance across the Gaza Strip since the beginning of Israel’s military campaign in October 2023. Among them are an estimated 200 children whose whereabouts remain completely unknown.
The Palestinian Center for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared called on international humanitarian organizations to intervene immediately to determine Jalal Al-Bursh’s fate and secure his safe return to his family. It also urged the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and relevant United Nations mechanisms to intensify pressure on the Israeli authorities to reveal the fate of all forcibly disappeared Palestinians believed to be in Israeli custody, or provide information regarding those who were killed and whose bodies continue to be withheld, in accordance with international humanitarian law and universally recognized human rights standards.
