In a shocking revelation, a Palestinian woman who was declared dead more than a year ago has been found alive in Israeli detention, though partially paralyzed.
In January 2024, the family of Bessan Fayyad was told she had been killed. They were handed a body with fragments of her ID, jewelry, and other belongings, which they buried in a funeral.
More than a year later, on March 21, 2025, her family was informed that she was in fact alive and being held in Israeli custody.
On August 17, the Palestinian Center for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared confirmed that Bessan had suffered a spinal injury, leaving her partially paralyzed.
Rights groups say her case highlights a wider pattern of enforced disappearances, manipulation of Palestinian remains, and lack of transparency around detainees.
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Independent researchers have also reported evidence of cemetery damage, mass graves, and tampering with bodies during Israeli operations in Gaza.
Bessan’s story has sparked outrage on social media and renewed calls from human rights advocates for international investigations.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Palestinian families continue to live in uncertainty, not knowing the fate of missing loved ones, as concerns grow over alleged kidnappings and enforced disappearances in the ongoing conflict.