Colombia’s Experience Could Help Locate More Than 10,000 Missing People in Gaza
Following an attack by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas three years ago, Israel launched a retaliatory offensive that practically destroyed Gaza. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health and local medical authorities, the total number of Palestinians killed since October 7, 2023, exceeds 74,000, with more than 175,000 injured. But there is another terrible figure: […]
Colombia's approach to locating missing persons, despite ongoing conflict, could prove invaluable in the search for over 10,000 missing individuals in Gaza, following the Hamas attack in 2023. The United Nations Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territory, led by Ajith Sunghay, warns that the current estimate of 8,000 missing people could be an underestimation.
Since the ceasefire in October 2023, Palestinian teams have recovered over 800 bodies, but the search remains far from completion due to a lack of resources and machinery. Colombia's Search Unit for Persons Deemed Missing (UBPD), founded in 2016, demonstrates that initiating a search without waiting for the conflict to end or justice mechanisms to be established is possible and effective.
This model, characterized by a humanitarian and extrajudicial mandate, focuses on recovering remains and identifying victims without determining criminal responsibility. This approach allows for immediate action to provide families with the truth and support they urgently need, rather than waiting for judicial processes. Experts concur that while the Colombian model cannot be directly transplanted to Gaza, its principles can be adapted to fit the unique circumstances of the region.
Written by urgent.news from Colombia One's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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