**A Mother's Agony: Searching for Her Son in the Gaza Rubble** In the scorching Gaza City, a 56-year-old mother's desperate search for her missing son has become a haunting reality. Hanaa al-Mabhuh, a devoted mother of seven, has been scouring the morgue at al-Shifa Hospital in the hopes of finding some clue about the fate of her 18-year-old son, Omar. The young high school student vanished with his cousin, Alaa, in June, while they were inspecting the ruins of their home in Jabaliya refugee camp. The agonizing wait has taken a toll on Hanaa, who is torn between the longing to know what happened to her child and the fear of confronting the worst-case scenario. Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are facing a similar ordeal, as they try to find out what happened to their loved ones who went missing since the October 7, 2023, raid by Hamas. The Israeli military's return of bodies to Gaza under a US-brokered ceasefire deal has brought some families a glimmer of hope, but for many, the search for answers remains a mirage. Hanaa's story is a stark reminder of the human cost of conflict. As she moves between the hospital's morgue and a hall displaying photographs of bodies, she is driven by a deep desire for closure. But the process of identification is shrouded in uncertainty, with human rights organisations citing the lack of detailed documentation and the circumstances of death. This makes it a daunting task for Gaza authorities to classify bodies and attempt identification, amid limited capacity for DNA testing. The recent handover of 54 bodies and 66 boxes containing human remains on February 4 has brought a mix of emotions for families like Hanaa's. While some have found closure, many others, including Hanaa, continue to search for their loved ones in the midst of the chaos. Her words echo the sentiments of countless Palestinians in Gaza: "We are running as if in a mirage, and we do not know anything." As the search for answers continues, Hanaa's story serves as a poignant reminder of the ongoing human tragedy in Gaza. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has left deep scars on both sides, and the search for missing loved ones is a painful reminder of the devastating consequences of war.