Civil defense teams in Gaza’s Khan Younis found a mass grave inside the Nasser Hospital, recovering around 300 bodies, as Israel continues its bombardment of Gaza for over six months now.
Col. Yamen Abu Suleiman, Director of Civil Defense in Khan Younis, told media that another 35 bodies had been discovered at the Nasser Medical Complex on Tuesday, bringing the total to 310.
Suleiman alleged that some of the bodies had been found with hands and feet tied, “and there were signs of field executions. We do not know if they were buried alive or executed. Most of the bodies are decomposed.”
The discovery of this grave, which began on April 20 and continued into the next day, followed the withdrawal of Israeli military forces from the southern city on April 7. Much of Khan Younis now lies in ruins due to the ongoing conflict.
“In the hospital courtyard, civil defense members and paramedics have retrieved 180 bodies buried in this mass grave by the Israeli military. The bodies include elderly women, children, and young men,” Al Jazeera’s reporter from Khan Younis said.
“Our teams continue their search and retrieval operations for the remaining martyrs in the coming days as there are still a significant number of them”, noted Palestinian emergency services in a statement released later in the day on April 20.
The identities of those buried in this mass grave have not been established, and it remains uncertain when they perished during Israel’s assault.
Al-Shifa Hospital mass graves
Earlier this week, another mass grave was discovered at al-Shifa Hospital after a two-week siege. This hospital, the largest medical facility in Gaza, has seen several such discoveries.
Gaza death toll soars to over 34,000
Local health officials reported that Israel’s offensive on Gaza resulted in the deaths of over 34,000 Palestinians. The conflict has devastated Gaza’s major cities and caused widespread destruction across the territory.
Shockingly, at least two-thirds of the casualties are children and women. The actual death toll may be higher, as many bodies remain trapped under rubble from airstrikes or are located in inaccessible areas.
Israeli strikes continue in Rafah
Israeli airstrikes continued to devastate the Gaza Strip, with recent raids in the southern city of Rafah claiming 22 lives, including 18 children, according to health officials on April 21, Sunday.
The first airstrike on Sunday morning claimed the lives of a man, his pregnant wife, and their three-year-old child. Fortunately, doctors at the nearby Kuwaiti Hospital were able to save the unborn baby.
A subsequent airstrike killed 17 children and two women from the same family. Another strike in Rafah the previous night resulted in nine deaths, including six children.