United Nations/Prensa Latina
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called for an independent investigation after calling the discovery of mass graves and destruction at Gaza’s Nasser and Al-Shifa hospitals a horror.
Speaking to the media, its spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani warned that reports suggest that 30 Palestinian bodies were buried in two graves in the courtyard of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City; one in front of the emergency building and the others in front of the dialysis building.
“The intentional killing of civilians, detainees and other people who are hors de combat is a war crime,” the high commissioner said, calling for independent investigations into the deaths.
The Human Rights Office also warned about reports that some of the bodies had their hands tied, while the search for other victims continues.
Other UN agencies on the ground reported over the weekend that a total of 283 bodies were recovered from the Nasser hospital, of which 42 were identified.
“Among the deceased there were allegedly elderly people, women and injured people, while others were found tied with their hands tied and stripped of their clothes,” the spokesperson said.
According to the information released, the bodies were buried deep in the ground and covered in debris.
Al-Shifa hospital was one of the main health centers in the enclave before the war broke out on October 7.
In March of this year, the institution was the target of a two-week Israeli military raid supposedly to root out Hamas militants.
On April 5, UN humanitarian staff assessed the site and described Al-Shifa as an empty shell with most of the equipment reduced to ashes.
Gaza health authorities estimate that more than 34,000 Palestinians have died as a result of Tel Aviv’s offensive in the Strip, 14,685 of them children and 9,670 women.
Another 77,000 were injured and at least seven thousand remain under the rubble.
“Every 10 minutes a child is killed or injured. They are protected by the laws of war and yet they are the ones who are disproportionately paying the ultimate price of this war,” Türk lamented.
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