Mass graves found in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, where the Israeli army withdrew after months of assault and occupation, have once again exposed Israeli brutality. The United Nations has called for a full and independent investigation.
The Israeli army withdrew from Khan Younis on 7 April after four months of ground occupation. With the withdrawal came the discovery of mass graves in the city and the recovery of bodies from the rubble of houses and roadsides. These efforts, led by civil defence teams, were joined by Palestinians trying to find and identify their lost relatives.
The official Palestinian news agency WAFA, quoting health sources in Gaza, reported that search and rescue teams exhumed 190 bodies of men and women of various ages killed by Israeli soldiers from a mass grave in the Nasser Hospital complex.
The United Nations (UN) said the news of the mass graves in Gaza was very disturbing and that a full and independent investigation should be carried out in the areas where the graves were found.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric was responding to questions from journalists at the daily press briefing. Asked about the news that mass graves had been found in Nasser Hospital after Shifa Hospital, Dujarric said: “The news is very disturbing. Stressing the need for a full and independent investigation into the areas where the graves were found, Dujarric also said that this clearly shows why a ceasefire is needed.
Dujarric reiterated the need for greater access for humanitarian workers, the protection of hospitals and the release of detainees.
In a written statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said that “it is regrettable and shameful to see such a blatant violation of international law and humanitarian values in the 21st century before the eyes of the whole world, international organisations and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)”. The statement condemned Israel’s repeated violations of international law and humanitarian law in Gaza and called on the international community to intervene immediately to stop these violations and to launch the necessary investigations to hold those responsible to account.
The statement noted that the killings, destruction and violence in the West Bank in recent weeks are at least as dangerous and reckless as those in Gaza, and that attacks by Jewish settlers against Palestinian civilians and their property under the protection of Israeli soldiers must stop.
