People gathered outside the rubble of the Al Hifa Hospital, Gaza's largest medical institution.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said today that reports of mass graves being found in Gaza continue to come in. The Palestinian victims in these mass graves were stripped naked and their hands tied, raising renewed suspicions that Israel might have committed war crimes.
This follows the discovery over the weekend of hundreds of bodies "buried deep underground, covered in garbage" at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, central Gaza, and al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza City. A total of 283 bodies were found at Nasser Hospital, of which 42 have been identified.
Shamdarsani, a spokesman for the UN Human Rights Office, said: "Among the dead were allegedly elderly, women and the wounded, while others were found with their hands tied and stripped naked. ”
Shefa Hospital
Shamdarsani quoted local health authorities in Gaza as saying more bodies had been found at Shifa Hospital.
Prior to the outbreak of the war on 7 October, this large health centre was one of the main medical facilities in Gaza. Israel has taken military action against Hamas militants, claiming that they are hiding in the facility. The military operation ended earlier this month. After two weeks of intense clashes, UN humanitarian personnel assessed the facility and confirmed on 5 April that the hospital was "an empty shell" and that most of the equipment had been reduced to ashes.
"There are reports that 30 Palestinian bodies are buried in two cemeteries in the courtyard of the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, one in front of the emergency building and the other in front of the dialysis building," Shamdarsani told reporters in Geneva. ”
Shamdasani went on to say that 12 Palestinian bodies had been identified at these sites at Shifa Hospital, but the rest could not be identified.
"There are reports that some of them have their hands tied," Shamdarsani said. She added that "although the IDF claims to have killed 200 Palestinians in the operation at the Shifa Medical Centre, there may be more victims."
200 days of terror
About 200 days ago, Israel began heavy bombing in response to Hamas's terrorist attacks in southern Israel. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Türk expressed alarm at the destruction of hospitals in Nasser and Shifa and the reported discovery of mass graves.
Türk called for an independent investigation into the deaths. "The deliberate killing of civilians, detainees and other hors de combat persons amounts to a war crime," he said. ”
Casualties are mounting
As of April 22, more than 34,000 Palestinians had been killed in Gaza, including 14,685 children and 9,670 women, health authorities in Gaza said. Another 77,084 people were injured and an estimated 7,000 more are buried under the rubble.
"Every 10 minutes, a child is killed or injured. They are protected by the laws of war, yet they pay the highest price disproportionately in this war. The High Commissioner said.
Issue a warning
An estimated 1.2 million Gazans are currently "under forced siege". Türk reiterated his warning of a full-scale Israeli invasion of Rafah.
"World leaders agree on the need to protect civilians trapped in Rafah," Türk said. ”
Türk condemned the "unspeakable suffering" caused by months of war and reiterated his call for an end to "the resulting suffering and destruction, hunger and disease, and the risk of wider conflict."
Türk reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all remaining hostages taken from Israel and those arbitrarily detained, and for unhindered humanitarian assistance.
Settler attacks
Speaking about the West Bank, Türk said serious human rights violations there are "on the rise."
Türk said the settler violence was organized "with the support, protection and participation of the internal security forces".
In particular, he described the 50-hour operation to the Nur Shams refugee camp and the city of Tulkarem, which began on 18 April.
"Israeli security forces deployed ground troops, bulldozers and drones and sealed off the camp," he said. 14 Palestinians were killed, three of them children". At the same time, he noted that 10 members of the Israeli security forces had been injured.
"Israeli security forces used unarmed Palestinians as human shields to protect their forces from attacks and killed others in a clear extrajudicial execution," Türk said.
