Mass Grave in Gaza: Unidentified Bodies Buried in Khan Yunis
In a heartbreaking scene, the bodies of dozens of unidentified individuals were laid to rest in a mass grave at a cemetery in Khan Yunis, located in the southern Gaza Strip. Wrapped in blue tarpaulin, the bodies were gently lowered on stretchers, some stained with blood, into a sandy pit that was gradually expanded by a digger. Among them were even the bodies of children.
Unknown Martyrs Laid to Rest
Bassem Dababesh, a member of the emergency committee at the religious affairs ministry, explained the reason behind the mass grave: “As these martyrs had no one to say goodbye to, we dug a mass grave to bury them. They are unknown martyrs.” The remains, which were only marked with numbers, had been transferred from the Indonesian and Al-Shifa hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip.
Horrific Scenes in Hospitals
The Indonesian hospital, situated on the outskirts of the Jabalia refugee camp, had been targeted by Israeli air strikes and was partially evacuated on Monday. Ashraf Al-Qudra, spokesman for the Hamas-controlled health ministry, described the gruesome aftermath: “There were bodies everywhere. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it.” Umm Mohammed Al-Ran, a woman who was evacuated from the Indonesian hospital, recounted the harrowing experience: “Wounded people died in front of us as they bled out… The stench of death was everywhere in the hospital. The wounded were crying out for painkillers, but the doctors didn’t have any to give them.” She even showed a video she had taken on her phone, revealing worms crawling out of an infected wound on a patient’s leg.
Similar conditions were reported at the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, the largest hospital in the territory. On November 14, the hospital’s director, Mohammad Abu Salmiya, disclosed that 179 bodies had already been buried in a mass grave within the hospital premises. Shockingly, among them were seven premature babies who tragically perished due to the lack of electricity to power their incubators.
Detained Bodies Released
The bodies that arrived in Khan Yunis on Wednesday had been “detained” by Israel before being released following representations from “third countries and the United Nations,” according to the emergency committee at the religious affairs ministry. Khalil Siam, director of a transport company, revealed that the bodies had arrived the previous night, and it was unclear whether they were decomposing or not.
Unanswered Questions
AFP reached out to the Israeli military and several UN agencies operating in Gaza for comment but had not received any response as of late Wednesday. The situation has left many Gazans shocked and appalled, as there are thousands of dead in the Gaza Strip, and the issue of burials has become a pressing concern. With cemeteries full or inaccessible due to the ongoing conflict, war victims have been hastily buried in private plots of land or even on a football field.
Shortage of Body Bags
A week after the war began, Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), highlighted a shortage of body bags. He lamented, “Every story coming out of Gaza is about survival, despair, and loss.” The war erupted on October 7 after Hamas launched a devastating attack on Israel, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths, mostly civilians, according to the Israeli government. Additionally, Hamas seized 240 hostages. In response, Israel launched a massive bombing campaign followed by a ground offensive in Gaza. The Hamas government claims that 14,100 people, including thousands of children, have been killed in the conflict, with thousands more believed to be buried under the rubble.
As the world watches in horror, the mass grave in Khan Yunis serves as a grim reminder of the devastating toll of war and the urgent need for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.