23 Lebanese prisoners, 42 missing: How will Lebanon respond to the latest detainees’ list?

Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

A list of 23 Lebanese detainees held in Israeli prisons was handed to President Joseph Aoun by an association representing Lebanese captives and released individuals.

A copy obtained by LBCI shows that three of the detainees were captured before the most recent war, dating back to 1978, 1981, and 2005.

During the war and Israeli incursions, the list shows 11 Lebanese were captured, most in October 2024 in Aita al-Shaab, including Waddah Younes in Blida and Imad Amhaz, who was taken in an Israeli naval commando operation in Batroun.

After the ceasefire agreement in November of last year, the list notes nine additional detainees abducted from various southern Lebanese villages, with operations continuing until after the Israeli withdrawal on February 18, 2025.

The list includes confirmed detainees along with the dates and locations of their capture.

The document submitted to the president notes that the number of missing individuals whose fate remains unknown, including missing martyrs whose bodies have not been accounted for, is 42. Observers of the file say these cases raise the possibility that additional detainees or remains may be held by Israel.

The submission of the list to the president, which was already kept at the presidential palace, was accompanied by a request to pursue the matter through international legal and humanitarian channels, in addition to diplomatic efforts.

During the meeting, President Aoun emphasized that he had asked former Ambassador Simon Karam to prioritize the detainees’ file in the ceasefire monitoring mechanism's meetings. 

Israel recently released five citizens in Ras Naqoura who had been detained after the ceasefire while attempting to return to their villages.

The step represents an effort to advance the issue, one of Lebanon’s official demands, while the Lebanese authorities continue negotiations within the civil framework of the ceasefire committee, despite Israeli obstruction on multiple fronts.