Gaza Herald– Two prominent human rights organizations have reported that at least five Palestinians have been forcibly disappeared by Israeli forces while attempting to receive humanitarian aid at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution centers, an entity backed by the US and Israel.
According to Al Mezan Center for Human Rights and MENA Rights Group, three of the victims have been confirmed to be in Israeli custody, while the Israeli military denies detaining the other two, one of whom is a 16-year-old student. These incidents occurred between mid-June and early July across several GHF sites.
The cases have now been submitted to the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. However, the rights groups stress that these five disappearances represent only a fraction of a much wider pattern of enforced abductions taking place at these so-called aid distribution points.
This comes amid mounting scrutiny of the GHF, which has been linked to the deaths of more than 1,400 Palestinians seeking food and assistance since late May, many of them killed near GHF locations. While GHF claims to use only pepper spray and warning shots to manage crowds, eyewitnesses and survivors report a far more brutal reality.
Al Mezan and MENA Rights Group are now demanding the immediate dismantling of the GHF and its replacement with a UN-led humanitarian initiative in coordination with UNRWA.
Issam Younis, Director of Al Mezan, condemned the GHF as “a death trap,” accusing Israel of using it to enforce starvation and further its genocidal campaign in Gaza. “The GHF gravely violates basic humanitarian principles,” he said.
In response to queries from the rights groups, the Israeli military confirmed the detention of three men Ramy Omar (42), Majd al-Jazzar (21), and Ashraf Abdeen (31) but refused to disclose their locations or allow legal access. Meanwhile, 16-year-old Abdulraouf al-Hems and 20-year-old Ahmed al-Akhras remain missing, with Israel denying holding them.
The families of those abducted have received no answers. Ramy Omar’s case illustrates the horror faced by many: he left his displacement tent on 17 June to collect aid at the al-Alam roundabout in Rafah. After hours of waiting, a drone ordered the crowd to disperse before Israeli tanks opened fire. In the chaos, Omar vanished. Israeli authorities later confirmed they held him but barred legal visits, and his current condition and location remain unknown.
The Israeli military has stated it will only investigate the cases if provided with ID numbers, deflecting responsibility. GHF, meanwhile, accused the rights groups of spreading “false propaganda” aligned with the Gaza Health Ministry, and called for an investigation into the groups themselves, rather than addressing the disappearances.
Human rights organisations are urging the UN to take immediate action to pressure Israel the release detainees and to expose what they call systematic violations of international law under the guise of humanitarian assistance.
These disappearances are not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern of dehumanisation and collective punishment inflicted upon Palestinians in Gaza. Under the guise of humanitarian aid, Israel is using the GHF as yet another tool to entrench control, deepen suffering, and erase accountability. The silence surrounding the fate of the disappeared reflects the impunity with which Israel continues its brutal campaign, aided by international complicity. True humanitarian aid cannot coexist with occupation and apartheid it must be rooted in justice, dignity, and the fundamental right of Palestinians to live free from siege, starvation, and fear.
