The European Union has thrown its support behind a United Nations call for an independent investigation into the reported discovery of mass graves at two Gaza hospitals destroyed during Israeli sieges.
EU spokesman Peter Stano stated on Wednesday, “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.”
Stano emphasized the importance of an independent investigation to ensure accountability.
The UN rights office echoed this sentiment on Tuesday, asserting that international investigators should be involved in the probe into the bodies discovered at Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City and the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis.
Expressing horror at the destruction, the UN rights office condemned the devastation of Gaza’s largest hospitals.
Gaza’s Civil Defence agency reported on Tuesday that health workers had uncovered nearly 340 bodies allegedly killed and buried by Israeli forces at the Nasser complex.
However, Israel’s army has dismissed these claims, labeling them as “baseless and unfounded.”
The army has stated that around 200 militants were killed, and weapons stockpiles were recovered during its operation at Al-Shifa.
Additionally, approximately 30 bodies were reportedly found buried in two graves in the Al-Shifa courtyard.
Despite hospitals having protection under international law, they have been repeatedly targeted by Israeli bombardments during more than six months of war in Gaza.
Israel has accused the Palestinian group Hamas of using medical facilities as command centers and holding hostages abducted during its attack inside Israel on October 7, which triggered the conflict. Hamas, on the other hand, has denied these allegations.
The war that began with the October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,170 people in Israel, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
In retaliation, Israel launched a military offensive that has claimed the lives of at least 34,183 people in Gaza, predominantly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
