The families of Hadi Reqqa, Jawad Bezzi, Ali Qachmar, and Mohammad Hassan protesting in front of the Grand Serail, in Beirut, on June 24, 2026. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — The families of four men who have been missing since their return to southern Lebanon held a sit-in Wednesday in front of the Grand Serail in Beirut, demanding information about their fate and fearing they may have been captured by Israeli soldiers.
The relatives of Mohammad Hassan (34), Ali Qachmar (39), Hadi Reqqa (19) and Jawad Bazzi (19) have had no news of the four men since June 15, when they returned to southern Lebanon from Beirut following the announcement of a cease-fire.
According to information reported by our correspondent in southern Lebanon the day after their disappearance, the first two went missing near the village of Safad al-Batikh (Bint Jbeil district), while the last known location of the other two was the village of Shehabieh (Sour). These towns are located near areas occupied by the Israeli army, but outside the perimeter of the "buffer zone" imposed by Israel in southern Lebanon.
The families of the missing have called on the Lebanese authorities to make their case "a priority" and to "mobilize all possible means" to determine their fate, denouncing the anxiety caused by the lack of information.
Present at the gathering, the association "Call to Freedom" for Lebanese abducted and detained in Israeli prisons urged the government to "assume its responsibility" and act without delay, particularly through diplomatic, legal and humanitarian channels.
According to the campaign, "the case of Ali Qachmar, Mohammad Hassan, Hadi Reqqa and Jawad Bazzi is inseparable from that of the prisoners, abducted persons and missing Lebanese held in Israeli prisons, as well as the duty of the Lebanese state to protect its citizens, to guarantee families their right to the truth and to every prisoner, abducted or missing person, their right to protection, life, freedom and return."
Several dozen Lebanese are being held in Israeli prisons after being abducted on Lebanese territory, notably since the start of the war in October 2023 in southern Lebanon.
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