Mass graves found at Gaza hospitals raided by Israel prompt demands for independent investigation
The discovery of a mass grave containing hundreds of bodies on the grounds of a hospital in southern Gaza has sparked calls from the United Nations for an urgent investigation as Palestinian families search through the remains to identify their loved ones.
At mass graves in southern Gaza’s Nasser Hospital, Palestinian authorities say they are uncovering bodies that bear signs of having been shot in the head, their hands bound by zip ties, stripped of their clothes, or buried in hospital gowns with tubes or needles still in their skin. Among the dead are women and children.
The remains found in the mass graves have raised questions about the circumstances surrounding their deaths during the months of intense fighting in and around Nasser Hospital. Israel denies wrongdoing but acknowledges exhuming bodies that had already been buried, then reburying them, in its search for hostages taken captive into Gaza during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks.
John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council, on Thursday called the reports from Nasser Hospital “deeply disturbing,” adding that “we’d like to see this investigated.” Kirby said the White House was in dialogue with Israeli counterparts.
“We want answers,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters during a news briefing Wednesday. “We want to see this thoroughly and transparently investigated.”
In a statement on Tuesday, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights echoed calls for an investigation, saying the reports from Nasser Hospital prompted “renewed concerns about possible war crimes.”
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