What Happens When You Can’t Get a Death Certificate in Gaza

Since October 2023 Gaza has faced a widespread missing-persons crisis that has overwhelmed systems for identifying bodies and registering deaths, leaving thousands of families unable to obtain death certificates or access pensions, bank accounts, inheritance, and guardianship rights. Research by ISEP and partner organizations estimates more than 51,000 people may have gone missing at some point, with roughly 14,000–15,000 still unaccounted for; affected households report severe legal and financial harms, and social-welfare groups are struggling to support “de facto orphans.”