On the International day of the disappeared, our thoughts go to the families of the missing people.

For over five years the mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, uncles and aunts of the missing Israelis have been desperately trying to obtain answers about what happened to their sons. They have the right to know. This right is enshrined in the International Humanitarian Law because knowing the fate of a missing loved one is a fundamental humanitarian need.

Living in uncertainty about what happened to their loved ones torments families in a way impossible to imagine. Their pain and anguish grow deeper as years go by.

Over the past five years, the ICRC has also repeatedly met with the families of the missing to update them on its efforts. Although no progress has been achieved in relation to the cases of the missing Israelis, the ICRC remains committed to ascertaining their fate.