UN rights chief 'horrified' by Gaza mass grave reports
United Nations rights chief Volker Turk is “horrified” by the destruction of the Nasser and Al Shifa medical facilities in Gaza and reports of mass graves containing hundreds of bodies there, a spokesman says.
Palestinian authorities reported finding bodies in mass graves at a hospital in Khan Younis this week after it was abandoned by Israeli troops.
Bodies were also reported at the Al Shifa site following an Israeli special forces operation.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“We feel the need to raise the alarm because clearly there have been multiple bodies discovered,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said.
“Some of them had their hands tied, which of course indicates serious violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, and these need to be subjected to further investigations.”
She said the UN human rights office was working to corroborate Palestinian officials’ reports that 283 bodies were found at Nasser and 30 at Al Shifa.
According to those reports, the bodies were buried beneath piles of waste and included women and older people.
Turk, addressing a UN briefing via Shamdasani, also decried Israeli strikes on Gaza in recent days, which he said had killed mostly women and children.
He also repeated a warning against a full-scale incursion on Rafah, saying this could lead to “further atrocity crimes”.
