The committee representing Lebanese prisoners and former detainees listed 43 names in its list of persons whom it considers to be detained or abducted by Israel. Its representative Ahmad Taleb presented this figure on 13 November, following a gathering of families in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) office in Beirut. Their requests concern the release of their relatives, but also a preliminary step: to obtain information on their fate and place of detention.
This total remains that of the committee. There is no independent confirmation of the presence of each of these persons in an Israeli establishment or evidence that all are currently alive. The file combines recent arrests and older disappearances, the elements of which are not of the same nature.
A name added, an arrest reported in June
New information includes the name of Wael Samer Assili. According to the committee, he was reportedly arrested on 26 June 2026 in Hariss, Bint Jbeil’s district, while on motorcycles checking his home. According to the same organization, his identification is based on the testimonies of three newly released Lebanese who claim to have seen him. It is therefore an addition to the census made public in November, not an announcement of a capture in recent days.
Ahmad Taleb reports that 40 of the 43 persons identified have been arrested since October 2024. The distinction between the date of an alleged arrest and the date on which a family receives testimony is essential: several months may separate the two, without this interval alone providing information on the conditions of detention.
Families asking for verifiable information
The gathering on Thursday, 12 November, in front of the ICRC placed relatives at the centre of this mobilization. Applications submitted by the committee include clarification of the fate of the persons sought, access to detainees and support for families. Indirect testimony may provide a lead, but it does not replace an official notification or a visit to establish the conditions under which a person is detained.
Why the official register has 44 files
On 7 November, the National Human Rights Commission had increased the number of cases on its register of detainees and missing persons to 44. She added four cases: Reda Mustafa Hajou, Hussein Ali Salameh, Mohammad Ibrahim Karneib and Fadi Ahmad Abdel Aal. This register does not only count persons whose current detention is confirmed, but also includes disappearances and situations requiring verification.
The Commission distinguishes between the date of capture, the last alert or evidence that a person was alive, and the date of receipt of the information by the family. She also mentioned 41 other missing persons not included in the published register, pending informed consent of relatives. These alerts must not be added to the figure of the committee to produce a common total.
The 43 names announced by the Committee and the 44 files of the Commission therefore describe two separate censuses. Their deviation does not lead to a finding of release, death or a decrease in the number of detainees.
The role of the ICRC and its limited access
In its communiqué of 4 September 2026, the ICRC confirmed that it had facilitated the return to Lebanon of five persons detained by Israel: one on 3 September and four the following day. The organization intervened at the request of the parties as a neutral humanitarian intermediary.
By that date, ICRC had reported no access to Israeli places of detention since October 2023, including for Lebanese detainees. He requested information and the resumption of his visits, while continuing a confidential dialogue with the authorities. This dated statement does not constitute a further confirmation in November of the individual situation of the 43 persons mentioned by the Committee.
The ICRC also recalled that many Lebanese families were still waiting to hear from their relatives. The September transfers provided a response for five people; They did not settle other detention or disappearance files.
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