The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has expressed grave concern over the destruction of two medical facilities in Gaza and reports of mass graves containing hundreds of bodies.
Turk, speaking through spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani, said he was “horrified” by the reports and called for further investigations.
“We feel the need to raise the alarm because clearly there have been multiple bodies discovered,” Shamdasani said. “Some of them had their hands tied, which of course indicates serious violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.”
The UN human rights office is working to corroborate Palestinian officials’ reports that 283 bodies were found at the Nasser hospital and 30 at the Al Shifa hospital. According to those reports, the bodies were buried beneath piles of waste and included women and older people.
Turk also condemned Israeli strikes on Gaza in recent days, which he said had killed mostly women and children. He repeated a warning against a full-scale incursion on Rafah, saying this could lead to “further atrocity crimes.”