The UN rights chief, Volker Turk, deeply disturbed by reports of a mass grave at a Gaza hospital, expressed shock at the situation. Condemning the horrifying discovery, he called for immediate attention to the matter.
The report emerged from Gaza’s Civil Defence agency, stating that around 200 bodies were uncovered at a hospital in Khan Yunis over the past three days. The bodies were allegedly victims of the ongoing conflict, buried by Israeli forces.
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed that the US is investigating the reports in collaboration with the Israeli government. The Israeli military has promised to provide further information on the matter.
Mahmoud Bassal, spokesman for Gaza’s Civil Defence, confirmed ongoing efforts to recover bodies from the Nasser Medical Complex. The situation is challenging due to the decomposed state of some bodies.
Ismail al-Thawabta, head of the Hamas government media office, called for an international investigation into the alleged crimes against civilians. He emphasized the need for accountability and justice.
Muhammad al-Mughayyir, a senior official at the civil defence agency, assured that efforts to retrieve remaining bodies would continue. The discovery of the mass grave has raised concerns about the extent of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The international community remains deeply concerned about the escalating violence and its impact on civilians. The UN and other organisations are closely monitoring the situation and advocating immediate action to address the crisis.
With Inputs from Reuters
Neelanjana Banerjee is a Broadcast Media Specialist with 23 years of cross-media experience in designing and producing content for television, radio and online media.
Having held a wide range of roles in various aspects of electronic media, she is a multifaceted professional and has an in-depth and hands on experience in broadcast
content, programming, media production, channel / product launch, TV and
radio skills training and online content.
Neelanjana was awarded the Chevening Gurukul fellowship in Leadership & Excellence from King's College, London in 2016.