The United Nations has called for a clear, transparent, and credible investigation into the mass graves uncovered at two major hospitals in war-torn Gaza that were raided by Israeli troops. According to U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric, credible investigators must have access to the sites, and more journalists need to be able to work safely in Gaza to report on the facts.
U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk expressed his horror at the destruction of the Shifa medical center in Gaza City and Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, as well as the reported discovery of mass graves in and around the facilities after the Israelis left. He called for independent and transparent investigations into the deaths, including international investigators due to the prevailing climate of impunity.
The U.S. State Department spokesman, Vedant Patel, expressed concern over the reports of mass graves at the hospitals and has requested information from the Israeli government. The Israeli military claims to have exhumed bodies buried by Palestinians as part of its search for the remains of hostages captured by Hamas during its October 7 attack, which triggered the war. The military asserts that the bodies were examined respectfully, and those not belonging to Israeli hostages were returned to their place.
The Palestinian civil defense in the Gaza Strip has uncovered 283 bodies from a temporary burial ground inside the main hospital in Khan Younis. Some of the bodies are believed to be of people killed during the hospital siege, while others were killed when Israeli forces raided the hospital. Palestinian health officials say the hospital raids have destroyed Gaza’s health sector, making it difficult to cope with the mounting toll from over six months of war.
The issue of who could or should conduct an investigation remains in question. The United Nations would need to authorize an investigation through one of its major bodies. The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has stated that a probe into possible crimes by Hamas militants and Israeli forces is a priority for his office.
The discovery of the graves has further emphasized the need for a ceasefire, an end to the conflict, and greater access for humanitarian aid and protection for hospitals. In the Hamas attack that launched the war, militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 hostages. Israel claims the militants are still holding around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.
Israel’s response, an air and ground offensive aimed at eliminating Hamas, has resulted in the deaths of over 34,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, with around two-thirds being children and women. The offensive has devastated Gaza’s two largest cities, created a humanitarian crisis, and forced around 80% of the territory’s population to flee to other parts of the besieged coastal enclave.
