Mass graves in Gaza show victims’ hands were tied, says UN rights office (2024)

The development follows the recovery of hundreds of bodies “buried deep in the ground and covered with waste” over the weekend at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, central Gaza, and at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City in the north. A total of 283 bodies were recovered at Nasser Hospital, of which 42 were identified.

Among the deceased were allegedly older people, women and wounded, while others were found tied with their hands…tied and stripped of their clothes,” said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Al-Shifa discovery

Citing the local health authorities in Gaza, Ms. Shamdasani added that more bodies had been found at Al-Shifa Hospital.

The large health complex was the enclave’s main tertiary facility before war erupted on 7 October. It was the focus of an Israeli military incursion to root out Hamas militants allegedly operating inside which ended at the beginning of this month. After two weeks of intense clashes, UN humanitarians assessed the site andconfirmed on 5 April that Al-Shifa was “an empty shell”, with most equipment reduced to ashes.

“Reports suggest that there were 30 Palestinian bodies buried in two graves in the courtyard of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City; one in front of the emergency building and the others in front of the dialysis building,” Ms. Shamdasani told journalists in Geneva.

The bodies of 12 Palestinians have now been identified from these locations at Al-Shifa, the OHCHR spokesperson continued, but identification has not yet been possible for the remaining individuals.

“There are reports that the hands of some of these bodies were also tied,” Ms. Shamdasani said, adding that there could be “many more” victims, “despite the claim by the Israeli Defense Forces to have killed 200 Palestinians during the Al-Shifa medical complex operation”.

200 days of horror

Some 200 days since intense Israeli bombardment began in response to Hamas-led terror attacks in southern Israel, UN human rights chief Volker Türk expressed his horror at the destruction of Nasser and Al-Shifa hospitals and the reported discovery of mass graves.

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The intentional killing of civilians, detainees and others who are hors de combatis a war crime,” Mr. Türk said in a call for independent investigations into the deaths.

Mounting toll

As of 22 April, more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including 14,685 children and 9,670 women, the High Commissioner’s office said, citing the enclave’s health authorities. Another 77,084 have been injured, and over 7,000 others are assumed to be under the rubble.

Every 10 minutes a child is killed or wounded. They are protected under the laws of war, and yet they are ones who are disproportionately paying the ultimate price in this war,” said the High Commissioner.

Türk warning

The UN rights chief also reiterated his warning against a full-scale Israeli incursion of Rafah, where an estimated 1.2 million Gazans “have been forcibly cornered”.

“The world’s leaders stand united on the imperative of protecting the civilian population trapped in Rafah,” the High Commissioner said in a statement, which also condemned Israeli strikes against Rafah in recent days that mainly killed women and children.

This included an attack on an apartment building in the Tal Al Sultan area on 19 April which killed nine Palestinians “including six children and two women”, along with a strike on As Shabora Camp in Rafah a day later that reportedly left four dead, including a girl and a pregnant woman.

“The latest images of a premature child taken from the womb of her dying mother, of the adjacent two houses where 15 children and five women were killed, this is beyond warfare,” said Mr. Türk.

The High Commissioner decried the “unspeakable suffering” caused by months of warfare and appealed once again for “the resulting misery and destruction, starvation and disease and the risk of wider conflict” to end.

Mr. Türk also reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all remaining hostages taken from Israel and those held in arbitrary detention and the unfettered flow of humanitarian aid.

Mass graves in Gaza show victims’ hands were tied, says UN rights office (1)

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A young girl is transferred from the Kamal Adwan hospital, in the far north of Gaza to a hospital in the south of the enclave. (file)

Massive settler attacks in West Bank

Turning to the West Bank, the UN rights chief said that grave human rights violations had continued there “unabated”.

This was despite international condemnation of “massive settler attacks” between 12 and 14 April “that had been facilitated by the Israeli Security Forces (ISF)”.

Settler violence has been organized “with the support, protection, and participation of the ISF”, Mr. Türk insisted, before describing a 50-hour long operation into Nur Shams refugee camp and Tulkarem city starting on 18 April.

“The ISF deployed ground troops, bulldozers and drones and sealed the camp. Fourteen Palestinians were killed, three of them children,” the UN rights chief said, noting that 10 ISF members had been injured.

In a statement, Mr. Türk also highlighted reports that several Palestinians had been unlawfully killed in the Nur Shams operation “and that the ISF used unarmed Palestinians to shield their forces from attack and killed others in apparent extrajudicial executions”.

Dozens were reportedly detained and ill-treated while the ISF “inflicted unprecedented and apparently wanton destruction on the camp and its infrastructure”, the High Commissioner said.

Mass graves in Gaza show victims’ hands were tied, says UN rights office (2024)

FAQs

Mass graves in Gaza show victims’ hands were tied, says UN rights office? ›

Disturbing reports continue to emerge about mass graves in Gaza in which Palestinian victims were reportedly found stripped naked with their hands tied, prompting renewed concerns about possible war crimes amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday.

Were mass graves in Gaza with hands tied? ›

Civil Defence member Mohammed Mughier said at least 10 of the bodies had been found with bound hands while others still had medical tubes attached to them. He added that additional forensic examination was needed on about 20 bodies of people who they suspect had been “buried alive”.

Were mass graves with hands tied? ›

says mass graves with victims' hands tied found at Gaza hospitals. The United Nations' human rights office reported on Tuesday the discovery of mass graves outside of two hospitals in Gaza with hundreds of bodies, including some who were found with their hands tied and stripped of their clothes.

Is the UN rights chief horrified by mass grave reports at Gaza hospitals Reuters? ›

GENEVA, April 23 (Reuters) - U.N. rights chief Volker Turk said on Tuesday he was "horrified" by the destruction of the Nasser and Al Shifa medical facilities in Gaza and reports of mass graves containing hundreds of bodies there, according to a spokesperson.

Did Gaza authorities say more bodies were discovered in mass grave? ›

Palestinian officials in Gaza on Thursday increased the tally of bodies discovered in a mass grave on the grounds of a hospital to 392 from 283, amid conflicting accounts between Israel and the Gazan authorities over how and when some of the bodies were buried.

Are there 300 bodies in the mass grave in Gaza? ›

More than 300 bodies found in mass grave at Gaza hospital, says Gaza Civil Defense. A mass grave with more than 300 bodies has been uncovered at a hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, Gaza Civil Defense workers said, following the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area earlier this month. Col.

How many mass graves are there in Gaza? ›

Graves were also found in Beit Lahia, and used in Deir al-Balah. More than 300 bodies have been found as of 24 April 2024. By 11 May 2024, the number had risen to 520, per the Gaza Ministry of Health. As of May 31 2024, seven mass graves in Gaza had been discovered.

What happens to clothes in graves? ›

Also around this time, the molecular structures that hold your cells together break away, so your tissues collapse into a watery mush. And in a little over a year, your cotton clothes disintegrate, as acidic body fluids and toxins break them down. Only the nylon seams and waistband survive.

What is the largest mass grave ever found? ›

Archaeologists in southern Germany have unearthed the skeletons of 1,000 plague victims from eight pits, forming what could be the largest mass grave ever excavated in Europe. Plague pits containing the remains of at least 1,000 victims have been unearthed in southern Germany.

Why do all graves face east? ›

Biblical Inspiration. Speaking of Christians, the practice of east-facing tombstones can also be traced to the bible. The scripture (Matthew 24:27), which talks about the second coming of Christ, teaches that he will come from the east. This belief also affects how Christian churches are built.

Who killed the people in the mass graves in Gaza? ›

Some victims found at two hospitals were 'buried alive' while others were 'executed' by the Israeli military.

Are mass graves a war crime? ›

The judges said bodies should not be buried in mass graves but handed over to the Palestinian authorities. The International Criminal Court's founding Rome Statute defines the desecration or mutilation of dead bodies as a war crime and this is banned as an outrage upon personal dignity.

Is there a mass grave outside the hospital in Gaza? ›

Almost 400 bodies have been found in mass grave in Gaza hospital, says Palestinian Civil Defense. People gather near bodies lined up for identification after they were unearthed from a mass grave found in the Nasser Medical Complex in the southern Gaza Strip.

Are there 100 bodies found in Gaza? ›

Bodies of about 100 unidentified Palestinians have been finally laid to rest at a mass burial in besieged Gaza after Israel handed over the snatched bodies is troops had been holding in Israel.

Why is Israel attacking Gaza? ›

After clearing militants from its territory, Israel launched one of the most destructive bombing campaigns in modern history and invaded Gaza on 27 October with the stated objectives of destroying Hamas and freeing hostages.

Were Palestinian bodies found zip tied? ›

The bodies were discovered under a mound of rubble at the school with videos uploaded on social media sites showing several of the body bags tied with white plastic zip ties, normally used for tying cables together.

Are graves still dug by hand? ›

Grave preparation (digging) in some instances is done by hand, in other instances a backhoe is used. If a backhoe is used, safety issues are mostly addressed by having an experienced backhoe operator and by restricting the area from anyone other than the operator and his experienced assistant(s).

Was a Roman sarcophagus uncovered in Gaza? ›

A Roman-era lead sarcophagus was uncovered on Tuesday at the site of a 2000-year-old Roman necropolis in the Gaza Strip. The necropolis is along the Northern Gaza coast and 500 meters (0.3 miles) from the sea.

Do war graves contain bodies? ›

Where bodies were found, but no definitive identity could be made, the headstone reads 'Known Unto God', a line devised by Rudyard Kipling, whose own son's body was never identified. All graves with CWGC headstones have the remains of an individual within it, whether or not the identity is known.

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