Gazans turn to social media in search of missing loved ones as war rages on
Foad Abu Al Qomsan was last seen by his parents on October 31, when Israel bombed his family home in Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp.
Having lost track of their two-year-old son for days, the parents reached out to Rawan Al Kateri, a Gazan campaigner with 8,000 followers on Facebook, to try to find him.
Foad is one of thousands of people sought by their families amid the horror and confusion of the Israel-Gaza war.
One of the few ways left to families hoping to reunite with missing loved ones is to contact journalists and people with a large following on social media to relay their messages, photos and contact details.
Ms Al Kateri’s post contains a plea from the boy’s family for any information about his whereabouts.
With Palestinian movement across Gaza restricted by Israeli military orders and the fighting between its soldiers and militant groups including Hamas, more people are pinning their hopes on social media to find relatives.
While some of those missing may be among thousands believed to be buried under the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes, others have not been seen since Israeli forces detained them.
Hani Abu Razeq, who has 691,000 followers on Instagram, said people in Gaza were asking him for help. “The situation is so difficult and the number of missing people is increasing every day. All of that after Israeli soldiers forced people to leave their homes,” Mr Abu Razeq told The National.
His posts helped a few people find their relatives.
“I post tens of appeals for missing people every day. Some of them were found and others are still missing, or there is no news about them,” he said.
But the process is lengthy and difficult, owing recurring cuts to internet services and weak phone signals.
Others have chosen to post about what Gazans need, with aid in short supply. Journalist and social media activist Seba Jaafarawi publishes several posts a day for people who are running out of medicine and other supplies.
“I am trying to help people to reach what they need,” she said. “I have, in some cases, succeeded in providing what was asked for, and that makes me feel happy.”
She left Gaza a month after the war started and said she was now in a better position to help people, because she has a stable internet connection.
On her Facebook page, the appeals vary between requests for medicine and for supplies including clothing.
“We have left our homes – buildings full of mattresses.
We have been humiliated. All night, it’s been raining on us. There’s snow inside the tent,” one Gazan wrote on her page.
“We are 11 people. We don’t have anything except for two thin mattresses and one blanket. We have seven children.”
Jaafarawi responded to the post to ask where in the enclave the person was, so that people could get in contact to offer help.
“People fleeing from their homes or shelters that have been bombed ask for tents or places to stay in, and I do my best to help them by posting their appeals on Facebook,” she said.