GENEVA, (PIC)
An immediate international action should be taken to investigate hundreds of mass and random graves in the Gaza Strip, which contain the bodies of thousands of Palestinian victims since the start of the ongoing Israeli military attack on 7 October 2023, the Euro-Med Monitor said in a statement on Wednesday.
Euro-Med field teams closely observed the recovery of hundreds of dead bodies from mass graves, some of which were found in different Gaza Strip hospitals.
The significant number of graves and bodies is concerning and calls for immediate international action, which should include the immediate creation of an independent international investigation committee to look into the circumstances surrounding the creation of these graves and the deaths of the victims buried there. This is especially important given that a large number of the victims were directly subjected to premeditated murder and arbitrary and extrajudicial executions while being handcuffed.
A technical committee of experts is needed to investigate the burial circumstances and determine the cause of death for the recovered victims. Additionally, a system for future identification of the deceased victims’ identities must be developed.
Gaza’s Civil Defense teams’ discovery of hundreds of bodies from mass graves in the “Al-Shifa” Medical Complex and the “Nasser” Hospital represents a dark chapter in the history of Israeli military violations in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The Euro-Med field teams earlier observed the recovery of dozens of victims from the mass graves in the Shifa Medical Complex, belonging to handcuffed victims, others who were wounded but not provided medical care, and those who were executed despite their health condition.
The victims’ decomposing bodies were found in several places, with some having been run over by Israeli bulldozers and having only parts of their bodies torn away.
The presence of urinary catheters or splints that were still attached to some patients’ bodies during the exhumation process, as well as medical files that were buried with them in the Shifa Medical Complex confirm the execution of ill and injured people.
Due to the extended time span and the fact that Israeli forces had impeded their recovery over the previous few months, most of the recovered bodies had started to decompose, while others had also evidently been mauled by cats and dogs.
