GAZA, (PIC)
The Palestinian Ministry of Health has held the Israeli occupation fully responsible for the inhumane and unethical treatment of the corpses of martyrs that were exhumed from graves and stolen. It announced the formation of a committee involving relevant parties to deal with these corpses.
In a statement issued Thursday, the Ministry of Health explained that the occupation army had exhumed dozens of graves and then loaded them into a truck containing 88 corpses destined for the Gaza Strip, under unethical and illegal conditions, without any data or information to identify the corpses and their owners.
The ministry attempted to involve the International Committee of the Red Cross to coordinate with the occupation; however, the Red Cross declined due to non-compliance with the protocol applicable in such cases.
The ministry reported the formation of a committee involving relevant parties to handle the corpses appropriately and to receive them today in preparation for their burial. It called on international bodies to play their role and pressure Israel to deal with these matters according to recognized standards and protocols.
Yesterday, the health ministry announced the arrival of a container from Israeli army containing about 88 unidentified corpses of martyrs from the Gaza Strip.
The ministry stated that it had halted the procedures for receiving the corpses until data and information about them could be completed so that their relatives could identify them.
It appealed to the International Red Cross to fulfill its responsibilities regarding the receipt and delivery of the corpses to provide data for each and the areas from which they were taken.
In response, the International Committee of the Red Cross stated that the corpses arrived in the Gaza Strip without coordination with them, and that they did not participate in the transfer of the corpses at any stage.
In a statement yesterday, the committee said, “We are on standby to facilitate the transfer of the corpses as a neutral humanitarian intermediary, should the parties to the conflict reach a prior agreement and in coordination with them.”
It mentioned that it had provided technical and material assistance to responders and forensic specialists to support them in retrieving and handling the bodies with dignity and in accordance with best practices in this field, including the provision of body bags and personal protective equipment.
The committee reiterated the right of all families to receive any information about their loved ones and to conduct burial ceremonies that preserve their human dignity and align with customs and traditions.
Under international humanitarian law, individuals who lose their lives during armed conflict must be treated in a way that preserves their human dignity, and their remains must be managed correctly and appropriately. The law also requires searching for, retrieving, and evacuating them, ensuring they do not remain missing.
The International Committee indicated that it maintains ongoing communication with the parties to the conflict to remind them of their obligations to ensure the dignity of the corpses and the right of families to know the fate of their loved ones who have gone missing.
