The Syrian National Commission for Missing Persons (NCMP) announced on May 30, 2026, that it has reached reliable and corroborating findings concluding with high certainty that the six children of Rania al-Abbasi are deceased [1, 2]. Rania al-Abbasi, a dentist and former chess champion, along with her husband Abdul Rahman Yasin and their six children, aged 3 to 15, disappeared after a government raid in Damascus in March 2013 [1, 2].

Despite the confirmation on the children's deaths, the fate of Rania al-Abbasi and her husband remains unknown. No contact has been made with them following their arrest, and their bodies have not been recovered, though human rights groups suggest they may have also died [1, 2].

The Syrian Interior Ministry stated that Amjad Youssef, arrested in April 2026, is involved in the killing of the six children and linked to militia groups affiliated with the former Assad regime. The Ministry said, "The Ministry of Interior, through its interrogations of several detainees, has obtained information and evidence indicating that the children were killed by groups and militias affiliated with the former regime" [2].

Hassan al-Abbasi, Rania’s brother, confirmed the children’s deaths in a Facebook video and said the family had seen videos implicating Amjad Youssef, where the children were accused of financing terrorism. He said, "They turned out to be our children. We finally saw them … but they were martyred" [1].

Rania al-Abbasi and her family reportedly were arrested due to their support for displaced Syrians from Homs, according to sources [2]. Efforts to recover the remains of the children are ongoing, the NCMP said [1].

The issue of detainees and forcibly disappeared persons remains a major human rights challenge in Syria following the 2024 ousting of Bashar al-Assad [1].

Amjad Youssef’s April 2026 arrest connects him to the Tadamon massacre and the killing of the Al-Abbasi children [2]. The NCMP emphasized their findings reflect "a high degree of professional certainty" about the children’s deaths, but no official confirmation exists regarding Rania al-Abbasi and her husband’s fate [1].

The commission continues its work to locate the children’s remains and seek justice in these cases.