What do we know about the mass graves in Gaza?

There is no international definition of mass grave. However, forensic experts define the phenomenon of mass graves as "a place where the remains of many people are buried, often side by side."

1. Discovery of 140 mass graves in Gaza

"Muhammad El Mugbat", Director of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Watch, announced that nearly 140 mass graves have been unearthed in this region since the beginning of the Zionist regime's attacks on Gaza, which started on October 7, 2023 and continues until today.

2. The discovery of approximately 400 bodies in a single mass grave

On April 27, 2024, Palestinian authorities in Gaza announced the number of bodies found in a single mass grave in the Nasser Hospital compound as 392.

3. Melting the bodies of Palestinian martyrs with the prohibited weapons of the Zionist army

Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Watch reported: "The Israeli military uses thermal weapons in the Gaza Strip, resulting in the decomposition and melting of victims' bodies. It should be noted that a thermobaric weapon is a type of explosive that uses oxygen in the surrounding air to create a high-temperature explosion." "

4. Guterres' request for an independent investigation into mass graves in Gaza

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on 30 April 2024:

“It is imperative that independent international investigators with forensic expertise be granted immediate access to the sites of these mass graves to determine with certainty the circumstances in which hundreds of Palestinians died and were buried.

5. Holding a UN Security Council meeting regarding the discovery of mass graves

Algeria requested a closed-door meeting from the UN Security Council regarding the mass graves found in the Gaza Strip on May 5, 2024.

6. Palestinian reaction

The Palestinian government media office blamed the Zionist regime for these mass graves and described their discovery and the general condition of the Nasser Medical Complex as a "heinous crime".

7. Israel's reaction

In its statement, the Israeli army described the claim that Palestinians' bodies were buried as "unfounded" and added:

"During their operations in the Nasser Hospital area, they "examined" bodies buried by Palestinians to find hostages and missing persons.

8. Possibility of the body organs of Palestinian martyrs being stolen by the Zionists. Documentary videos and photographs of the bodies of mass grave victims bearing traces of torture, where their hands were tied with plastic bands, their stomachs were opened and stitched with unusual methods, their arms and legs were cut off while wearing operating room clothes, tell that they were buried alive and that the organs of the human body were stolen. raises suspicions.

9. Injured and sick buried persons

Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Watch stated:

Civil defense teams in the Gaza Strip, when examining the bodies of victims buried in mass graves, found that many of them were handcuffed when they died. Additionally, evidence shows that many of these victims were injured and ill.

10. Serious violations of international human rights laws

Ms. Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, said:

"Some of the bodies found in these mass graves had their hands tied; this is a serious violation of international human rights law and international humanitarian law and should be investigated further."