EU demands independent investigation into mass graves in Gaza hospitals
The EU wants an "independent" investigation into the discovery of mass graves at Gaza's two main hospitals, a spokesman said on Wednesday. The bloc is echoing the UN, which already called for an investigation on Tuesday.
A senior Gaza civil defence official said on Tuesday that his department's teams had discovered the bodies of some 340 people in mass graves at Nasser Hospital. A mass grave was also found near the al-Shifa hospital last week, according to Al-Jazeera.
"This forces us to call for an independent investigation into the suspicions and circumstances" of this discovery, "because it gives the impression that human rights may have been violated," said Peter Stano, a spokesman for the EU's diplomatic service.
"It gives the impression that human rights may have been violated"
The UN on Tuesday called for an international investigation into the mass graves. Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said he was "appalled" by the destruction of medical facilities. "The deliberate killing of civilians, prisoners and others considered 'hors de combat' is a war crime."
The Israeli army has denied all responsibility. That the army "allegedly buried Palestinian bodies is completely untrue," the Israeli army said, adding that it only exhumed and reburied bodies in hospitals during its search for hostages.
Palestinian paramedics carry away bodies of dead people uncovered in the vicinity of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. PHOTO © AFP
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