Gaza [Palestine], April 25: The European Union has said it wants an independent investigation into mass graves uncovered at Gaza's Nasser and al-Shifa medical facilities.
"This is something that forces us to call for an independent investigation of all the suspicions and all the circumstances, because indeed it creates the impression that there might have been violations of international human rights committed," EU spokesman Peter Stano has said.
Earlier, the UN also demanded a transparent inquiry into the mass graves, where Palestinian civil defence crew say they found more than 300 bodies. Any investigation, according to the UN, would need to involve international investigators "given the prevailing climate of impunity". UN human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said some of the bodies at Nasser Hospital were allegedly "found with their hands tied and stripped of their clothes".
The mass graves at Gaza's two largest medical facilities are among the several discovered since Israel launched its war on the besieged coastal enclave on October 7, killing more than 34,000 Palestinians. Israel's offensive came after Hamas fighters carried out attacks inside Israel, killing 1,139 people.
Gaza civil defence crews said more than 300 bodies have been recovered from the mass grave at the Nasser Medical Complex so far. The civil defence group on Monday said it uncovered many of the bodies from what appear to be temporary graves inside the Nasser complex as Israel's siege prevented access to cemeteries, the Associated Press news agency reported.
Gaza's Government Media Office blamed Israel for the mass graves, describing their discovery and the overall situation at Nasser Medical Complex as a "heinous crime".
"Storming it twice, and destroying some of its parts, demonstrates the extent of the barbarism of this occupation and the immorality of its army."
Source: Qatar Tribune