GAZA: Gaza’s Civil Defense agency said on Monday that over the past three days, health workers had exhumed around 200 bodies of the Palestinian people killed and buried by Israeli forces at a hospital in Khan Younis during a brutal raid, AFP reported.
The shocking discovery highlighted the extent of the devastation inflicted upon Gaza during the relentless Israeli bombardment campaign since October 7. Mahmud Bassal, the spokesman for Gaza’s Civil Defense, said that health workers have been retrieving bodies from inside the Nasser Medical Complex since Saturday.
“Our civil defense crews are still recovering bodies from inside Nasser Medical Complex, and since Saturday bodies of nearly 200 martyrs have been retrieved,” Bassal told AFP.
The revelation of the mass grave at the Nasser Medical Complex follows a pattern of disturbing discoveries in Gaza, where Palestinian emergency services continue to unearth the tragic consequences of the prolonged Israeli assault.
“In the hospital courtyard, civil defense members and paramedics have retrieved 200 bodies buried in this mass grave by the Israeli military. The bodies include elderly women, children, and young men,” the statement from Palestinian emergency services added.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached catastrophic proportions, with the territory enduring extensive damage and loss of life. The Israeli military onslaught, which has persisted for more than six months, has left Gaza’s two largest cities devastated and inflicted widespread destruction across the enclave.
According to local health officials, the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 34,151, with the majority being women and children. The toll is expected to rise further as many bodies remain buried under the rubble of demolished buildings, beyond the reach of rescue teams.
The disproportionate toll on vulnerable populations, with over 14,500 children and 9,500 women among the casualties, underscores the severity of the crisis. Gaza’s media office has condemned the escalation in Israeli violence, which has left the enclave in ruins and inflicted profound trauma on its inhabitants.
Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, Israeli settler violence has further inflamed tensions, contributing to a “state of constant fear,” as described by Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). The recent deadly raid on the Nur Shams refugee camp has added to the anguish and indignation among Palestinian communities, intensifying calls for justice and accountability.
