Israel-Hamas war: Over 6,000 Palestinians missing since conflict started

More than 6,000 Palestinians are reported as missing since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7 last year, theInternational Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Friday (July 12).

Citing an ICRC spokesperson, a report by The Guardian said that many Palestinians have been believed to be trapped under debris, buried without identification, or held in Israeli detention while others have been separated from their families.

The spokesperson said that1,100 new cases of missing people were registered and remained unsolved since April. Earlier, the number of missing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip was over 8,700, according to the agency.

The ICRC engaged with7,429 Palestinian families to gather information. Around 2,300 cases were resolved, meaning the families found their loved ones either dead or alive.

The calls from worried family members

The ICRC spokesperson told The Guardian that every week, the agency would receiveanywhere between 500 and 2,500 calls, and most of these were from family members of the missing people.

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The spokesperson added that when peoplewere injured and taken to hospital in an ambulance, their families wouldn't always know where they were hospitalised.

The above developments come as the current death toll from the war has crossed the38,000 mark and88,295 people have been injured, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

'US mediators making progress on truce deal'

In the latest news from the war, United States (US) President Joe Biden said on Thursday that American mediators were making progress in reaching a ceasefire deal in the war.

However, he alsoacknowledged that there remained “difficult, complex issues” between Israel and Hamas when it comes to the truce agreement.

"There are still gaps to close. We’re making progress,” Bidensaid.

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.