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

Image source, al Madhoun familyImage caption, Ahmed al Madhoun, who has Down's syndrome, has been missing since May 2025ByJon DonnisonReporting fromJerusalemAhmed 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."But Ahmed, who has Down's syndrome, is missing. The 21-year-old disappeared in May 2025 after popping to the local shop.At the time, the war in Gaza between Hamas and Israel was raging.That day there were Israeli strikes in the area, and Majdiya fears her son is dead. But she doesn't know for certain."My God, I am not at peace," she says. "I have not lost hope but whether they find him alive or dead, buried under the rubble, only then will I be at peace."Image source, Al Madoun familyPain like Ma...