Uncovering the Truth: Unearthing Victims of Conflict at Al-Shifa Hospital

Health workers in northern Gaza recently started exhuming bodies from mass graves located in and around Al-Shifa Hospital. They believe that Israeli forces killed hundreds of Palestinians and abandoned their bodies to decompose during a two-week siege of the area.

On Tuesday, Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal reported that at least 381 bodies have been recovered from the vicinity of the hospital since Israeli forces withdrew on April 1. It is important to note that this number does not include individuals who were buried within the hospital grounds.

Officials informed CNN on Monday that they found many decomposed remnants either buried or above ground. According to Basal, some of the deceased were crushed to death by Israeli tanks, making them unrecognizable.

KHAN YUNIS, GAZA - APRIL 7: People inspect damage and remove items from their homes following Israeli airstrikes on April 07, 2024 in Khan Yunis, Gaza. The Israeli military reported today that it has scaled back ground troops in the southern Gaza Strip, leaving only one brigade. April 7th marks six months since Hamas led an attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 people hostage. In response, Israel launched a retaliatory war in Gaza that has killed more than 33,000 people, according to the Gazan health ministry. As the latest round of ceasefire negotiations have stalled, the humanitarian crisis worsens in Gaza, while more than 100 Israeli hostages remain in captivity. (Photo by Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images)

In Khan Yunis, Gaza on April 7, people are assessing the damage and clearing out their homes after Israeli airstrikes. The Israeli military has reduced its ground troops in southern Gaza to just one brigade. Six months ago, Hamas attacked Israel, resulting in 1,200 deaths and 250 hostages. In retaliation, Israel launched a war in Gaza, causing over 33,000 casualties. Ceasefire talks have stalled, worsening the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and leaving over 100 Israeli hostages still held captive.

Related article

‘There’s no more life’: Khan Younis residents return to find former neighborhoods in ruins

Witnesses and civilians who were trapped inside the hospital during the raid described the area as "full of bodies," according to Basal. He mentioned that the occupation forces had buried these bodies in the ground.

Ahmad Alaiwa, a doctor at Al-Shifa, stated, "We are here to recover the remains of the bodies that the Israeli occupation has plowed into sand mounds in a large pile," when speaking to CNN.

Some bodies were discovered under dirt or plastic sheeting, as stated by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a post on X. In a video message, he emphasized that hospitals should never be militarized.

According to a UN report, staff from the World Health Organization and the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) arrived at Al-Shifa Hospital earlier this month. The report mentioned that Israeli authorities had previously blocked humanitarian teams from accessing the complex.

Shifa has turned into a graveyard, with bodies still lying in the courtyard, according to Jonathan Whittall, a senior humanitarian affairs officer for OCHA, in a video message posted on X on Saturday.

CNN has contacted the Israel Defense Forces IDF for their response.

Palestinians in northern Gaza are seen walking through the destroyed Al-Shifa Hospital on April 1. According to health workers in Gaza, the first bodies have been exhumed from mass graves that were dug by Israeli forces.

Mohammed Hajjar/AP

The IDF confirmed its withdrawal from Al-Shifa on April 1, saying that “hundreds of terrorists were killed or captured.”

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that the terrorist base in Shifa has been taken out. However, CNN is unable to confirm the IDF's reports independently.

For years, Israel has been asserting that Hamas militants are hiding in mosques, hospitals, and other civilian areas to evade Israeli strikes. Despite this, Hamas has consistently refuted these allegations.

Israel began its military offensive in Gaza in response to an attack by the militant group Hamas on October 7. The attack resulted in the deaths of at least 1,200 people, including 36 children, and the kidnapping of over 250 others.

According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Israeli strikes have led to the deaths of at least 33,360 Palestinians and the injury of another 75,993 individuals.

"The scent of death fills the air," shared Motasem Salah, a Ministry of Health official in Gaza overseeing the recovery operations, in a conversation with CNN.

"Our main focus is on finding and confirming the identities of the civilians who have lost their lives, as their families anxiously wait for updates on their whereabouts – whether they are safe or still missing."

After the two-week siege, Salah, an official from the Ministry of Health, reported that the specialized facilities in the hospital complex are now "completely out of service." He expressed concern that Israel's bombardment has severely damaged the medical system in Gaza, reducing the resources available for rescue and recovery efforts.

"We lack pathologists or experts who can properly document the crimes of the occupation," he mentioned.

In a statement dated April 3, UN experts criticized Israel for "restricting access to healthcare for those who need it the most."

The statement mentioned that the world is currently observing the first genocide being broadcasted in real time by its victims and shockingly justified by Israel as being in accordance with the laws of war. The full extent of the atrocity is difficult to capture completely due to its immense scale and severity, making it the most appalling attack on Gaza's hospitals.

It is against international law to target hospitals during times of war. However, these standards can change if enemy combatants are utilizing the facility to launch attacks against an enemy.

Palestinians are searching for their loved ones in the aftermath of the recent attacks. In a CNN video from Al-Shifa on Monday, massive chunks of damaged concrete were seen spilling from buildings that had been blown out. UN staff, wearing white helmets, were seen climbing over layers of debris, while local workers used shovels to dig for bodies. Some individuals carefully carried decomposed remains inside white shrouds, as Palestinian children looked on wearily, with the sound of Israeli aircraft buzzing overhead.

Gazan residents came together at the hospital to look for their loved ones who were missing. Ghassan Riyad Qunaitta shared that his elderly father was one of those discovered in the mass graves. "He was just a civilian," Qunaitta told CNN. "They took him from his home and murdered him." It's important to note that CNN is unable to confirm independently if Qunaitta's father was indeed killed by Israeli forces.

His relatives' house beside the complex was stormed by the IDF. They were told to flee south, leaving his father near the fence of the surgical department. He recalls finding his father's body on Monday.

Since then, they lost track of him. It wasn't until almost a week after the withdrawal that they finally found his body. They had been searching tirelessly until today when they finally found him.

Palestinian residents were forced to flee the neighborhood around Al-Shifa Hospital, in Gaza City, on March 18, after Israeli forces lay siege at the complex for 14 days.

Palestinian residents were forced to flee the neighborhood around Al-Shifa Hospital, in Gaza City, on March 18, after Israeli forces lay siege at the complex for 14 days.

Nuha Swailem, another Palestinian at the hospital, shared with CNN that she was looking for her husband who had been taken by Israeli forces during the raid.

"We don’t know what happened to our children or my husband, if they are… buried or detained," she said. "Please, just tell us where our children are? Tell me where my husband is?"

Palestinians at Al-Shifa told CNN that they are hoping to give their loved ones a proper funeral, expressing their sadness over the lack of respect shown in their deaths. UN agencies collaborated with Gaza’s Ministry of Health to provide respectful burials for the unidentified bodies discovered at Al-Shifa, as mentioned in a post on X on Tuesday.

"We want to give these body remains a proper burial," said Alaiwa, a doctor at Al-Shifa. "Parents and families are desperate to know the fate of their loved ones - whether they are dead, arrested, or missing."

Swailem, a Palestinian mother, questioned, "Why were they arrested? What crime did they commit? Our only 'crime' is being Palestinian."

Editor's P/S:

The article