An immediate international action should be taken to investigate hundreds of mass and random graves in the Gaza Strip, which contain the bodies of thousands of Palestinian victims since the start of the ongoing Israeli military attack on 7 October 2023.
Euro-Med field teams closely observed the recovery of hundreds of dead bodies from mass graves, some of which were found in different Gaza Strip hospitals.
The significant number of graves and bodies is concerning and calls for immediate international action, which should include the immediate creation of an independent international investigation committee to look into the circumstances surrounding the creation of these graves and the deaths of the victims buried there. This is especially important given that a large number of the victims were directly subjected to premeditated murder and arbitrary and extrajudicial executions while being handcuffed.
A technical committee of experts is needed to investigate the burial circumstances and determine the cause of death for the recovered victims. Additionally, a system for future identification of the deceased victims' identities must be developed.
The Civil Defence teams' discovery of hundreds of bodies from mass graves in the "Al-Shifa" Medical Complex and the "Nasser" Hospital represents a dark chapter in the history of Israeli military violations in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The Euro-Med field teams earlier observed the recovery of dozens of victims from the mass graves in the Shifa Medical Complex, belonging to handcuffed victims, others who were wounded but not provided medical care, and those who were executed despite their health condition.
The victims' decomposing bodies were found in several places, with some having been run over by Israeli bulldozers and having only parts of their bodies torn away.
The presence of urinary catheters or splints that were still attached to some patients' bodies during the exhumation process, as well as medical files that were buried with them in the Shifa Medical Complex confirm the execution of ill and injured people.
Due to the extended time span and the fact that Israeli forces had impeded their recovery over the previous few months, most of the recovered bodies had started to decompose, while others had also evidently been mauled by cats and dogs.
In this regard, Dr. Moatasem Saeed Salah, a member of the Health Emergency Committee in the Ministry of Health, told Euro-Med that after the withdrawal of Israeli forces, 30 bodies were found buried in two cemeteries in Al-Shifa Hospital during the Israeli siege of the medical facility, one in front of the reception and emergency department and the second in front of the industrial department.
Salah said that only 14 of them had been successfully identified, with the rest being patients or injured individuals who were receiving treatment in the hospital but were not given the proper medical attention.
On October 15, 2023, the first mass grave at the Shifa Medical Complex was created because it was not possible to move the deceased to the official cemetery in Gaza City, which is located in the eastern part of Gaza. Afterwards, more of these graves were constructed, bringing the total to roughly 140 graves, some of which hold hundreds of bodies.
Among the mass graves that were reported in November and December of last year was the first random cemetery, located in the heart of Gaza City's Al-Daraj neighbourhood. It was excavated on property belonging to the "Al-Masry" family on "Al-Sahaba" Street, spanning approximately 500 metres. It is estimated that at least 150 bodies are buried there.
Similarly, a second random cemetery was excavated in the "Al-Daraj" neighbourhood on land near the "Sha'biyya" intersection on Al-Istiklal Street (Al-Qaws). Its approximate size is 2,000 square metres, and it is thought to have more than 200 bodies buried there.
While recovering the bodies of the dead from under multi-story buildings is extremely difficult, the majority of the recently recovered bodies were found in simple one-story buildings or on the streets.
Thousands of destroyed homes in multi-story buildings that once held dozens of people have also become mass graves for their occupants because it is still impossible to retrieve them due to either a lack of technical means to remove the rubble or the fact that these buildings are situated in areas where the Israeli military operations are still active.
The presence of mass graves is another unmistakable sign that grave crimes against Palestinians have been committed in the Gaza Strip. These crimes infringe upon Palestinians' rights to life, to not be the object of enforced disappearances, to humane treatment, and to the rights of the dead to be identified individually, to be treated with dignity when their remains are buried, and to be buried in a way that respects their religious customs.
The international community must exert pressure on Israel to identify all mass graves that the Israeli army has excavated in the Gaza Strip, identify their locations, and take all necessary precautions to prevent the Israeli army forces from destroying, demolishing, or excavating them, or from taking the bodies from them, disfiguring them, or treating the victims inhumanely or in a degrading way after they have been killed or killed.
Along with gathering all relevant evidence and taking all necessary precautions to ensure that it is not lost, which could lead to the perpetrators of these crimes going unpunished, the international community is also required to open prompt, independent international investigations into the crimes connected to the existence of mass graves, including unlawful killings of victims whose bodies were concealed within them.
The identification of the unidentified bodies buried in these mass graves should involve collaboration and participation from all capable international bodies.
Urgent international action is needed to set up special mechanisms and specialised teams to remove debris from homes and buildings that Israel's army has bombed, rescue those trapped alive under the rubble, and retrieve the thousands of dead bodies stuckunder it since the genocide began on 7 October 2023.
Decisive international pressure on Israel is necessary to facilitate the labour of the individuals and crews working to remove this rubble, including civil defense crews. Pressure must also be put on Israel to release information on the fate of the thousands of Palestinian prisoners and detainees from the Gaza Strip who are being held by Israeli army forces, plus those who have been victims of murder, unlawful execution, and enforced disappearance in Israeli prisons and detention centres.
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor estimates that over 13,000 Palestinians are either missing under debris, buried in indiscriminate mass graves, or forcibly disappeared in Israeli prisons and detention facilities, where some have even been killed.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths of these prisoners and detainees have not yet been made public by the Israeli army, nor have any independent investigators been able to confirm or determine the details of their deaths. These victims' bodies have not been exhumed, their identities have not been established, and their remains have not been repatriated, nor have their relatives been informed.
The bodies must be recovered immediately after death, as the current state of these decaying corpses poses a threat to public safety. The spread of epidemics, which has already begun and has been felt for several months now, will have further detrimental effects on the environment and public. Israel's crime of genocide has not spared even the dead, amid reprehensible international complicity.
Thousands of Palestinians are still missing, which is a further crime against their families, who endure terrible psychological abuse. This kind of suffering and pain is especially experienced by the families of those who were detained and taken prisoner by the Israeli army; they are left in a state of perpetual fear and anxiety, not knowing what will become of their loved ones, where they are being held, how they are being treated, or when they will be allowed to return.
The international community must act swiftly and forcefully to defend Palestinian civilians against the genocide that Israel has been committing in the Strip for the past six months. The international community must also work together to ensure that Israel complies with international law and the ruling of the International Court of Justice, and is held responsible for all its crimes, including the massacre conducted in Al-Shifa Medical Complex.
Euro-Med Monitor urges the International Committee of the Red Cross to bear its responsibilities and verify the detention conditions of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons. The Red Cross must also take public stances and release statements each time Israel prevents it from carrying out its mandated duties, such as, most notably,paying visits to Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
Israel is required by international law to abide by certain rules, such as to protect and respect dead people's bodies during armed conflicts and take all reasonable steps to prevent parties to the conflict from depriving the dead of their dignity and from having their bodies mutilated.
The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions; the Special Rapporteur on the issue of torture;and the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances must promptly and thoroughly investigate all serious crimes committed by the Israeli army against Palestinian prisoners and detainees—including extrajudicial executions and killings, torture, inhuman treatment, and forced disappearances—and submit reports concerning these crimes to all relevant parties in preparation for the work of fact-finding committees and international courts in considering, looking into, and trying cases pertaining to this genocide.
