Forensic investigators have identified seven members of a family missing since the 2017 battle for Raqqa, giving surviving relatives answers amid Syria’s wider search for its missing.
The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) says estimates of people missing from Syria reach 300,000. An assessment by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) documents the effects of prolonged uncertainty on families’ income, legal status and mental health.
The seven identified people were Manar Aliwi, her husband and their five children. Their remains were recovered from a collapsed building in 2024, Reuters reported. ITV News said it examined the letters confirming their identities.
Reuters identified three groups involved in the forensic work: the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre; the Syrian Missing Persons and Forensic Team; and the Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala. They used DNA samples and accounts from relatives to establish the identities.
Aliwi’s surviving son, Mohammad Hamadah, told ITV News, “Our hearts and minds can finally find peace.” Aliwi’s father, who was also believed to have been in the building, remains unidentified.
Syria’s National Commission for Missing Persons told Reuters it confirmed DNA matches in two other cases in 2026, making three reported cases in all. The commission said ICRC experts reviewed its findings before the families were notified. It did not disclose the identities of the people in the other cases or how they died.
In its Oct. 20 account to Reuters, the commission said it had gathered about 96,000 files, 2,000 samples from human remains and 29 DNA samples from relatives in cases with evidence of a possible match. It said a program launched Aug. 30 was receiving an average of 100 new missing-person reports a day.
ICMP said commission scientists completed DNA laboratory training in The Hague from Sept. 14 to 18. The organization described the training as part of efforts to develop Syria’s capacity to identify missing people through DNA analysis.
The commission told Reuters it aims to establish a laboratory with the Red Cross by May 2027 and is working on another with ICMP.
