Israeli army abducts Palestinian footballer at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation site
Name(s):
Nader Awad Mohammed al-Najjar
Status:
Forcibly disappeared
Year of birth:
1987
Profession:
Football player
Nationality:
Palestinian
Date of arrest:
Nader al-Najjar was forcibly disappeared on June 24, 2025, after heading to an aid distribution point in the north of Rafah. Although the Israeli army confirmed that al-Najjar is in their custody, his place of detention remains undisclosed, and he has been denied any communication with the outside world.
Nader Awad Mohammed al-Najjar is a Palestinian football player, born in 1987, who resided with his family in the Jabalia refugee camp. On the morning of June 24, 2025, at approximately 6:00 a.m., al-Najjar went with a group of friends to the distribution point operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation* in the al-Shakoush area of the Saudi neighbourhood in Rafah.
When the site opened at 9:00 a.m., he disappeared, and all contact with him was lost. He was not seen leaving the area. On that day, thousands of individuals presented themselves at the distribution center, at which point al-Najjar’s friends lost sight of him amidst the crowd.
On August 19, 2025, an official enquiry was submitted to the Israeli army regarding al-Najjar’s arrest and place of detention. On August 31, 2025, the Israeli army claimed to have no information regarding al-Najjar’s detention.
Fearing that al-Najjar remains forcibly disappeared, MENA Rights Group (MRG) submitted an urgent appeal to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (UN WGEID), urging them to intervene with the Israeli authorities to clarify al-Najjar’s fate and whereabouts.
MRG also requested that the UN Working Group address a communication to the GHF, and to the relevant U.S. authorities, in light of the mounting number of cases of enforced disappearances occurring at the aid distribution sites operated by the organisation.
* The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is a U.S. and Israeli-backed organisation criticised by the UN and civil society organisations for operating military-controlled aid distribution sites where Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid have faced daily gun fires and mass casualties. Since the GHF started operating in May 2025 until August 19, over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed at the vicinity of GHF sites.
| Name(s): |
Nader Awad Mohammed al-Najjar
|
| Status: |
Forcibly disappeared
|
| Year of birth: |
1987
|
| Profession: |
Football player
|
| Nationality: |
Palestinian
|
| Date of arrest: |
|
Nader Awad Mohammed al-Najjar is a Palestinian football player, born in 1987, who resided with his family in the Jabalia refugee camp. On the morning of June 24, 2025, at approximately 6:00 a.m., al-Najjar went with a group of friends to the distribution point operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation* in the al-Shakoush area of the Saudi neighbourhood in Rafah.
When the site opened at 9:00 a.m., he disappeared, and all contact with him was lost. He was not seen leaving the area. On that day, thousands of individuals presented themselves at the distribution center, at which point al-Najjar’s friends lost sight of him amidst the crowd.
On August 19, 2025, an official enquiry was submitted to the Israeli army regarding al-Najjar’s arrest and place of detention. On August 31, 2025, the Israeli army claimed to have no information regarding al-Najjar’s detention.
Fearing that al-Najjar remains forcibly disappeared, MENA Rights Group (MRG) submitted an urgent appeal to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (UN WGEID), urging them to intervene with the Israeli authorities to clarify al-Najjar’s fate and whereabouts.
MRG also requested that the UN Working Group address a communication to the GHF, and to the relevant U.S. authorities, in light of the mounting number of cases of enforced disappearances occurring at the aid distribution sites operated by the organisation.
* The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is a U.S. and Israeli-backed organisation criticised by the UN and civil society organisations for operating military-controlled aid distribution sites where Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid have faced daily gun fires and mass casualties. Since the GHF started operating in May 2025 until August 19, over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed at the vicinity of GHF sites.
