Online Reporter
Ivan Zhakata
Herald Correspondent
PALESTINIAN Ambassador to Zimbabwe Dr Tamer Almassri has condemned the enforced disappearance of thousands of Palestinians detained from the Gaza Strip, saying the practice violates international law and strips detainees of legal protection.
In a statement marking the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, Ambassador Almassri accused Israeli authorities of systematically using enforced disappearance against Palestinian detainees during the ongoing conflict.
He said the whereabouts of many of those detained remained unknown.
“The Israeli occupation authorities’ systematic use of enforced disappearance against thousands of Palestinian detainees from the Gaza Strip during the ongoing genocidal war is a serious concern,” said Ambassador Almassri.
“The fate and whereabouts of many of these individuals remain entirely unknown.”
Ambassador Almassri said the alleged withholding of information on detainees, including their names, locations and medical conditions, as well as the denial of access to families, legal counsel and human rights organisations, constituted an integrated policy.
“These practices form an integrated policy designed to strip detainees of all legal protection,” he said.
“This deliberate concealment fosters an environment conducive to torture, ill-treatment and medical neglect entirely shielded from oversight and accountability.”
Enforced disappearance was prohibited under international law and could not be justified during war or a state of emergency.
The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance defined enforced disappearance as the deprivation of liberty combined with the refusal to acknowledge the detention or concealment of the fate of the victim.
Ambassador Almassri said determining the fate of missing detainees was an urgent obligation for the international community.
“Ending enforced disappearance and determining the fate of the detainees is not a humanitarian demand that can be deferred but a genuine test of the international community’s commitment to upholding international law and to halting the ongoing course of genocide,” he said.
The Ambassador also highlighted the humanitarian situation in Gaza, saying the death toll from Israel’s military operations had risen to 73 454 Palestinians, while 174 486 others had been injured since October 2023.
He said more than 12 000 people remain trapped under rubble and along roads, while ambulance and rescue teams were unable to reach them due to continued Israeli bombardment despite the reported ceasefire.
Ambassador Almassri also accused Israeli politicians of exploiting the conflict for domestic political gain ahead of elections.
He condemned the use of military escalation and the loss of Palestinian lives for electoral advantage.
