Palestinian civil defense workers sifting through Gaza's rubble have uncovered nearly 400 bodies in mass graves near the territory's two largest hospitals, CNN reported. The hospitals were raided and occupied by Israeli forces before their withdrawal earlier this month.
According to the civil defense workers, the bodies found at Nasser Medical Complex and al-Shifa hospital – both now destroyed by Israeli fire – include those of hospital workers, women, and the elderly. Some of the bodies were discovered with their hands bound and bearing gunshot wounds to the head.
A spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said that the state of the bodies indicated "serious violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, and these need to be subjected to further investigations," The Guardian reported. The location of the mass graves also raises alarms as hospitals, medical staff, and patients are entitled to special protection under international humanitarian law.
Volker Türk, UN human rights chief, called Tuesday for an independent investigation “given the prevailing climate of impunity." The U.S. State Department, which has called the reports "troubling," has said it is asking for more information from the Israeli government.
The Israeli military, responding the the reports, claimed that it had exhumed previously buried bodies in a search for the remains of hostages that Hamas took during their October 7 attack on Israel, then re-buried them.
Human rights watchdogs have criticized Israel for waging a war with little regard for civilians in Gaza, accusing Israeli forces of targeting noncombatants, demolishing civilian infrastructure and blocking food and medical supplies from entering the besieged enclave. Violence has also escalated in the West Bank, where Israeli security forces have been accused of aiding settlers in attacking and displacing Palestinian residents.
