The National Team for Following Up on the Issue of Missing and Forcible Disappeared Persons held a meeting chaired by the Minister of Justice, with broad attendance from international partners.
Ramallah / Gaza – September 2, 2026
The Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network (PNGO) participated today, Wednesday, in the meeting of the National Team for Following Up on the Issue of Missing and Forcible Disappeared Persons. The meeting was held at the Office of the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers in Ramallah, via direct video link with the Gaza Strip, chaired by Minister of Justice Counselor Sharaheel Al-Za'eem, with wide attendance from members of the National Team and representatives of UN agencies and diplomatic missions.
In addition to the National Team and PNGO, the meeting was attended by representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Director of the "Sawasiya" program, and representatives from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNICEF, UN Women, and a number of diplomatic missions.
During the meeting, Minister of Justice Counselor Sharaheel Al-Za'eem affirmed that the National Team, formed pursuant to a Cabinet decision, has developed a concept note and a comprehensive framework for addressing this file, which he described as "a purely humanitarian file, not a political one." He announced the formation of specialized subcommittees to undertake fieldwork and detailed follow-up, namely:
- Documentation and Electronic Platform Committee
- Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee
- Forensic Medicine and Identification Committee
- Family Support and Psychosocial Services Committee
- International Cooperation and Partnerships Committee
- Media and Communications Committee
For its part, PNGO, through its participation, affirmed its commitment to moving forward with participatory and integrated work alongside the Ministry of Justice, the General Secretariat, and the National Team, as the official and legal reference for addressing this national and humanitarian issue.
In its statement, PNGO emphasized the critical importance of facilitating monitoring and documentation tools for citizens in the Gaza Strip, and addressing the technical and civil complexities faced by families of the missing during the registration process, in order to ensure uncovering the fate of more than 11,200 missing persons and protecting the rights of their families concerning guardianship, inheritance, and social protection, through the implementation of psychological, social, and legal support programs for these families.
The Minister of Justice called upon all international bodies and partners to review the concept note and to actively participate in carrying this immense humanitarian file, and to assist in the success of national efforts.
The meeting concluded with a review of contributions from international partners, led by the International Committee of the Red Cross, which explained the nature of its work and its effective interventions in the Gaza Strip, amid full consensus on unifying all official, civil society, and international tracks under the umbrella of the National Team to achieve real and tangible progress that would end the anguish of waiting for the families of the missing.
