Egypt: Confirm Detention of Missing Palestinians

Jerusalem — Egyptian authorities should immediately disclose whether they are or were holding four Palestinian men from Gaza affiliated with Hamas whose whereabouts are unknown, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to Interior Minister Magdy Abd al-Ghaffar. The Palestinians were taken away by armed men after crossing from Gaza to Egypt nearly 20 months ago.

Based on media reports, including photographs purporting to show two of the men in a Cairo detention facility, the families believe they are in Egyptian custody. If true, their prolonged incommunicado detention, with Egyptian authorities denying knowledge of the detention or refusing to reveal their whereabouts, would constitute enforced disappearances. Authorities should immediately charge the men if they suspect them of criminal activity, or otherwise release them.

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