Gaza mother’s grim ordeal: A search for missing son among mutilated bodies

Gaza families seek closure as they search for loved ones among bodies returned by Israel under ‘ceasefire’ deal.

Gaza City, Gaza Strip – With exhausted steps and eyes filled with tears, Hanaa al-Mabhuh moves between the hall displaying photographs of bodies and the morgue at al-Shifa Hospital in a grim search for any trace of her missing son.

The 56-year-old mother wipes away tears with the back of her hand and stares at the decomposed faces on the screen, torn between the desire to find out what happened to her youngest child, while at the same time fearing he might be among the dead handed over by Israel under a US-brokered ceasefire deal.

Thousands of Palestinians from Gaza have been seeking information on loved ones who went missing since the war began after the deadly October 7, 2023 raid by Hamas.

Driven by her need for closure, Hanaa returns to scan the images on the screens one more time.

“This boy is a piece of me,” Hanaa tells Al Jazeera, referring to 18-year-old Omar, who disappeared along with one of his cousins, Alaa, when they went to inspect the ruins of their home in Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza last June. Omar, a high school student, was the youngest among his seven siblings.