Gaza Authorities Call on UN to Investigate Mass Grave Allegations

Facts

• A civil defense team in Gaza on Thursday called for a UN investigation into mass graves found near al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City and Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in which hundreds of bodies have reportedly been discovered. The team claimed that Israeli forces conducted summary executions at Nasser Hospital without immediately providing evidence.¹
• Palestinian officials also said on Thursday that they had discovered 392 bodies at Nasser Hospital. A New York Times report claimed that, of the three mass grave sites at Nasser Hospital, satellite photos indicated that two were dug before Israeli forces raided the hospital in February.²
• Civil defense workers said that they believed that at least 20 people may have been buried alive at Nasser Hosptial. The US said that it wanted to see an investigation into the sites.³
• The Israeli military claimed that, in search of the remains of hostages, it examined bodies that had been buried by Palestinians at Nasser Hospital, returning them 'to their place' afterward in a 'respectful manner.' Israel has repeatedly denied that it has carried out any executions.⁴
• A US official, Dept. of State spokesperson Vedant Patel, would not say if Washington would support a UN probe into the mass grave sites. He said that the US 'asked the government of Israel for additional clarity and information.'⁵
• The World Health Organization said that shallow graves were also found around al-Shifa Hospital, adding that 'many dead bodies were partially buried with their limbs visible.' The UN human rights office said that there were 30 bodies buried in two graves at Shifa, 12 of which were identified.⁶

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²New York Times, ³Al Jazeera, ⁴The Times of Israel, ⁵Democracy Now and ⁶BBC News.

Narratives

• Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Al Jazeera. Israel has demonstrated a consistent pattern of targeting civilians and medical infrastructure so that it can make Gaza virtually unlivable. Civil defense workers continue to unearth the bodies of Palestinians that Israeli forces either dumped or executed and the fact that this war has been allowed to continue after so many Israeli atrocities is shameful. The US, Israel's biggest ally, also has decided to cover for Israel, consistently lying about the war and Israel's intentions.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by CNN. These grave sites must be investigated. However, Israel has never and will never intentionally target civilians, and, to demonstrate its commitment to its principles, Israel will conduct a thorough investigation into the incident. The international community, especially as so many nations essentially forget Hamas' Oct. 7 atrocities, must remember that Israel did not want this war and it has been forced to take dramatic action to ensure its survival.
• Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by Jerusalem Post. Once again, the media is falsely portraying the situation in Gaza, as the 'mass graves' found over the weekend have a simple explanation. The military, while looking for the bodies of hostages, was forced to examine the bodies of Palestinians recently buried in the vicinity of the Shifa and Nasser hospitals, which it did with respect and dignity. The bodies were then returned to their rightful place. One should remember that Shifa was being used as a massive headquarters for Hamas militants, and Israeli forces neutralized as many as 200 terrorists there recently.

Predictions