In the heart of the Gaza Strip, the Deir el-Balah cemetery stands as a somber testament to loss and the enduring struggle for identity in the wake of conflict. Amidst the harrowing backdrop of war, families like Lina al-Assi’s seek closure for their missing loved ones, caught in the intertwining narratives of grief, hope, and resilience. As September 2023 unfolds, the plight of those left behind amidst the turmoil offers profound insights into the human spirit’s capacity to withstand unimaginable suffering while yearning for the dignity of remembrance.
Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip – Lina al-Assi often visits an unmarked grave, tending to the soil and placing flowers in an effort to honor her husband, Jihad Tafesh, who disappeared during the initial days of the intense conflict that erupted in Gaza in October 2023. As one of approximately 1,200 graves designated for unidentified bodies, this site reflects the profound human cost of violence in the region.
The 26-year-old mother, trying to navigate this harrowing reality with her two young children, lost contact with Jihad on October 8, 2023. While she fled their home in the Shujayea area of Gaza City to escape the relentless artillery strikes, Jihad courageously chose to stay behind with his family. “The shelling was everywhere, and the area where my house was located was very dangerous and close to the border,” Lina recalls, revealing her desperation to locate him amidst the chaos.
In the uncertain days that followed, Lina sought answers through the International Red Cross, but the outcome remained elusive. “We did not know whether he was detained, injured, or killed. Nothing,” she lamented. The agony of uncertainty deepened with each passing day.
Soon after a ceasefire agreement brokered between Israel and Hamas in October 2025, which allowed for the transfer of deceased Palestinians back to Gaza, Lina gravitated toward the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis. There, she hoped to assert her husband’s identity amid the sorrowful responsibility of identifying the deceased, facilitated by the Red Cross.
Arriving in stages, these bodies were often disfigured or challenging to recognize due to their condition. Bearing witness to such trauma is a different kind of suffering, as Lina poignantly expressed: “With every photo shown on the screen, I prayed he would not be among them.” Navigating this painful process, she encountered bodies that sometimes resembled Jihad but could not definitively confirm his identity.
After weeks of searching, hoping to find Jihad among the deceased, one body matched his description. Tragically, by the time she relayed her suspicions to hospital staff, he had already been buried, forever altering her sorrow into a haunting void.
The Deir el-Balah cemetery—locally termed the “cemetery of the missing”—was promptly established in response to a swelling number of unidentified dead. Ziad Obaid, head of the Gaza cemetery department, indicated that many bodies had been recovered from diverse locations, including rubble and public spaces. However, the identification process is fraught with difficulty, as many corpses arrive in severely compromised states, leaving families bereft of closure.
Even when DNA reference codes are provided, Gaza’s lack of functional laboratories stymies efforts for proper genetic identification. “Despite repeated calls for DNA facilities, no progress has been made,” Obaid stated, emphasizing the urgency of international advocacy for intervention to facilitate the identification of the deceased.
As rounds of bodies are documented in hospitals, forensic efforts seek to preserve distinguishable marks while quickly assigning them identification codes. With families permitted to view bodies for a limited window, the chance for recognition remains steeply curtailed, exacerbating the emotional turmoil for families seeking connection and solace.
The absence of necessary forensic technology ultimately leaves families suspended in grief, longing for answers. With ongoing conflict complicating matters of identification, the humanitarian toll weighs heavily on those left behind.
“The hardest feeling is when a loved one is buried as unknown, without a name or official identification,” Lina reflects, trapped in a cycle of pain and yearning. Her hope crystallizes in a simple wish: to visit her husband’s grave alongside their children, honoring his memory with dignity and love.
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