24.04.2024
Palestinian officials say they have located two mass graves at hospitals in the past week.
The bodies of at least 300 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces were discovered below a hospital complex in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. The second mass grave is at Al-Shifa medical facility, which last month was the site of a two-week siege.
Authorise say the bodies bear signs of torture, with some victims’ hands tied.
The reports triggered a firm response from the UN. Human rights chief Volker Turk said the reports “horrified” him, while Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN high commissioner for human rights, called for further investigations.
“There’s a history here of impunity for gross violations and so many of them have gone undetected and unreported,” she said. “We feel the need to raise the alarm because clearly there have been multiple bodies discovered.”
The IDF called the claims of mass graves “baseless”.
The news comes as protests intensify across the world, with many universities now hosting encampments protesting Israel’s military action in Gaza.
In New York Columbia University has become the site of large protests, with hundreds of students occupying academic buildings and quad lawns. In Australia, the University of Sydney commenced their camp-out yesterday.
The University of Melbourne will join them in solidarity on ANZAC Day later this week.
