The government in Gaza has completed its search of mass graves at a hospital in the southern part of the strip, revealing a total of 392 bodies, with some still clad in surgical gowns.
Speaking at a Thursday news conference in Rafah on April 25, an official from the Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza disclosed that workers have identified 165 Bodies at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, following the recent withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area.
Mohammed Al Mighayyer stated that the examination of the remaining 227 bodies is ongoing to establish their identities. He detailed the discovery of three Mass Graves, located in various areas of the hospital complex.
In response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) refuted any suggestion that they had buried Palestinian bodies in mass graves, asserting that a grave at the Nasser complex was dug by Palestinians in Gaza several months ago. The IDF claimed that during their operation in the area of Nasser Hospital, they examined corpses buried by Palestinians in places where intelligence indicated the possible presence of hostages.
The Gaza Civil Defense acknowledged that approximately 100 bodies were buried in graves at the Nasser hospital before the IDF operation. CNN reported that families had buried the bodies of their relatives on the hospital grounds temporarily in January, only to discover upon their return after the Israeli military withdrawal in April that the bodies had been dug up and placed in at least one collective grave, not in their initial burial spots.
Graphic images displayed during the news conference showed several bodies in advanced stages of decomposition at the complex, including those of children.
Al Mighayyer of the Civil Defense alleged the presence of children's bodies in the mass graves, suggesting crimes of genocide. He also claimed cases of executions of patients who were receiving treatment at the hospital, citing gunshot wounds and other injuries.
Amnesty International has called for an investigation into the mass graves at the two Gaza hospitals.
The IDF stated that their operation in the Nasser Hospital area was aimed at locating hostages and missing persons, during which about 200 individuals identified as terrorists were apprehended. They asserted that the operation was conducted carefully and targeted specifically against the terrorist organization Hamas, without causing harm to the hospital, patients, or medical staff.
