Bodies found with ‘hands tied’ in mass graves in Gaza

Bodies with their hands tied and without clothes were reportedly found among hundreds of corpses discovered in mass graves in Gaza, the United Nations said.

The organisation said it was reviewing claims more than 300 bodies were discovered at two different burial sites outside the Nasser and al-Shifa hospitals, some of whom were women and elderly people.

It warned of potential “serious violations” of humanitarian law after the bodies were found buried “deep in the ground and covered with waste”. The Israeli military said the claim was “baseless and unfounded”.

“Among the deceased were allegedly older people, women and wounded, while others were found tied with their hands and stripped of their clothes,” a UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokesperson said.

“This of course indicates serious violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, and these need to be subjected to further investigations.”

Meanwhile, Israel bombarded northern Gaza overnight in some of its heaviest shelling in weeks, flattening areas which the Israeli military had previously withdrawn from.

On Tuesday, thick black smoke could be seen rising in northern Gaza as Israeli tanks rolled into the east of Beit Hanoun on the edge of the Gaza Strip.

Residents reported witnessing at least 10 strikes along a main road in Zeitoun, one of Gaza City’s oldest suburbs, with Hamas-affiliated media claiming several people were injured in a strike on a mosque.

In Israel, where government offices and businesses were shut to celebrate the Jewish Passover holiday, incoming rocket alerts sounded in southern border towns, although no casualties were reported.

The armed wing of Islamic Jihad, a group allied to Hamas, claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks on Sderot and Nir Am.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military seems to have doubled down on its plans to invade Rafah, southern Gaza, where it claims the last few battalions of Hamas militants are hiding.

It intends to evacuate civilians from the area head of the offensive, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had already taken refuge during the assault on the north.

The evacuation will reportedly involve moving civilians to the nearby city of Khan Younis, among other areas in Gaza, where Israel will set up shelters with tents, food and medical facilities.

Egyptian officials said the fighting in Rafah was expected to last at least six weeks, though the timing of the operation remains uncertain.

The US also warned Hamas had “moved the goalposts” over hostage and ceasefire negotiations and was aiming for a full-scale regional war.

In a press briefing, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the militant group had made demands that Israel “moved some way to meeting” before they were changed.

“It certainly does seem like Hamas is more interested in a full-scale regional war,” he said, adding that it had declined a “very significant proposal” that had been tabled.

At least 34,097 Palestinians have been killed and 76,980 injured in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war on 7 October the enclave’s Hamas-run health ministry said.

On 7 October 2023, more than 250 Israelis were kidnapped into Gaza by Hamas in a surprise terror attack. The Israeli government believes that in the more than 200 days since then, only 100 are still alive with the remains of 30 others still thought to be held by militants.

An Israeli military spokesperson told The Independent: “The claim that the IDF buried Palestinian bodies is baseless and unfounded.

“During the IDF’s operation in the area of Nasser Hospital, in accordance [with] the effort to locate hostages and missing persons, corpses buried by Palestinians in the area of Nasser Hospital were examined.

“The examination was conducted in a careful manner and exclusively in places where intelligence indicated the possible presence of hostages.

“The examination was carried out respectfully while maintaining the dignity of the deceased. Bodies examined, which did not belong to Israeli hostages, were returned to their place.

“At the end of February, IDF forces conducted a precise and targeted operation against the terrorist organisation Hamas in the Nasser Hospital area.

“During the operation, about 200 terrorists who were in the hospital were apprehended, medicines intended for Israeli hostages were found undelivered and unused, and a great deal of ammunition was confiscated. The activity was done in a targeted manner and without harming the hospital, the patients and the medical staff.”