The war between Israel and Hamas
Mass graves discovered at hospital in Gaza
Nivette Dawod
Updated 19.58 | Published 19.56
Over 200 dead Palestinians have been found in mass graves in southern Gaza, several media reports.
According to Al Jazeera, it is about women, men and children.
Information claims that several of them may have been tortured.
For several days, mass graves around the Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza have been dug up, reports the news agency AP, among other things.
The dead were reportedly buried in the hospital yard by both relatives and the Israeli military (IDF) after the IDF ended a month-long raid on both the town and the hospital.
- Among the bodies are elderly women, children and young men, Al Jazeera's correspondent Hani Mahmoud said yesterday.
Over 200 bodies have been found so far, but the number may well rise.
The local emergency services, paramedics and relatives have also been working today to dig up bodies in order to carry out proper burials.
"Our teams will continue to search for remaining martyrs in the coming days, as there are expected to be many more," the rescue service said in a statement, according to the television channel.
"Martyr" is an Arabic term for people killed as a result of battle.
Hamas: A massacre
Ismail al-Thawabteh, director general of the Hamas-run media ministry, said yesterday, according to the Turkish news agency Anadolu Agency, that many of the dead were executed by Israeli soldiers.
However, that information has not been confirmed via independent sources.
Al-Thawabteh also said that several of the bodies had been buried for a long time, and had therefore begun to rot.
- This is a crime and a massacre committed by the occupying power against refugees, civilians and children. It is a crime of revenge and a brutal war carried out by the Israeli occupying power, he said.
Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for the civil defense in Gaza, told the AFP news agency on Monday that several of the bodies found were stripped.
- It is an indicator that the victims were subjected to torture and humiliation.
Nor has that information been confirmed via independent sources.
IDF: Examining the data
This is not the first time that mass graves have been found on hospital grounds in Gaza after the IDF left.
Recently, a mass grave was found at Gaza's largest hospital, al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, after a two-week IDF raid.
Personnel from the World Health Organization then described that dead bodies were only partially buried in the courtyard of the totally destroyed hospital, and that the area stank of rotting corpses, writes AFP.
The IDF has not commented on that information.
They have stated to the news agency that they are investigating the information about mass graves at Nasser Hospital.
FACTS
Background
More than six months have passed since October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel in what is being called the worst massacre of Jews in modern times.
Over 1,100 people, mainly Israelis, were killed and 240 people were kidnapped. Over 130 of them are still believed to be with Hamas in Gaza.
The military invasion that Israel launched shortly afterwards against the Gaza Strip - with the aim of exterminating Hamas and bringing back the hostages - has been very bloody. By Palestinians it is called a new Nakba, catastrophe, just like the expulsion of Palestinians that took place in 1948 when the state of Israel was established.
According to the Hamas-controlled health department in Gaza, over 34,000 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed by Israeli attacks, the majority of them women and children. Over 76,000 have been injured.
The UN has also warned that famine is imminent.
Inga kommentarer:
Skicka en kommentar