Ongoing search operations have uncovered more bodies of Palestinians allegedly buried by the Israeli army in mass graves around a hospital in southern Gaza.
According to the Palestinian Civil Defense, more than 390 bodies have been exhumed from three mass graves discovered at the Nasser Medical Complex, some of which were children and others handcuffed, suggesting some of the victims were buried alive in mass graves.
Civil defense officials in Gaza said on Thursday that mass graves discovered in the vicinity of the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis showed evidence of crimes against humanity.
Israel has denied accusations that it was responsible and has said that the grave in question was dug by Gazans months ago.
"During the previous five days, approximately 305 martyrs were recovered from the first grave. Now we have moved to search in a new grave. About 20 bodies have been recovered from it so far. The search operation is still underway. As you can see, there are a number of martyrs. Some of them have been identified, while others remain unidentified due to severe decomposition of bodies," said Mahmoud Masoud, a member of the Palestinian Civil Defense.
Health authorities in the Gaza Strip confirmed that other victims had previously been found in a mass grave in Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City after the withdrawal of the Israeli army.
Many of the exhumed bodies exhibited signs of torture, said the authorities, adding that the destruction of medical laboratories and the lack of health personnel prevented further investigations of the corpses.
"This situation is very difficult for us, as the medical staff have been working for a long period without rest and returning to their homes. The other thing is that our hospital has encountered some energy-related issues. The hospital relies on electric generators, but we do not have fuel and are also unable to coordinate the delivery of fuel to the medical complex," said Atef Al-Hout, medical director at the Nasser Medical Complex.
The United Nations has called for an independent investigation into the discovery of the mass graves of Palestinians at both medical facilities.
Ongoing search operations uncover more Palestinian bodies in Gaza mass graves
