Families' agonising search for answers as thousands still missing in Gaza - BBC News

Ten months after a ceasefire was declared, thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are still reported missing.

Image source, al Madhoun familyImage caption, Ahmed al Madhoun, who has Down's syndrome, has been missing since May 2025

Ahmed al Madhoun looked like a man who, despite the hardship, loved life. A cheeky, chunky little fellow with an exuberant smile.

From her partially destroyed home in Gaza City, his mother Majdiya shows us videos of him on her phone.

In one, Ahmed is cuddling a kitten. He sticks out his tongue and squeals with glee. In another, he belly flops into a swimming pool, before emerging from the water grinning from ear to ear.

"Everyone was his friend," Majdiya tells the BBC. "He was loved wherever he went, and he always had a smile on his face."