War between Israel and Hamas: Dozens of bodies exhumed in hospital courtyard in Gaza

A mass grave discovered in Khan-Yunes? Dozens of bodies were found buried in a hospital courtyard in this southern Gaza city that was the target of an Israeli raid, Gaza Civil Defense said Sunday, as Israel’s prime minister vowed to step up pressure on Palestinian Hamas.

It was at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younes that Gaza Civil Defense officials exhumed at least 50 bodies. In response to questions from AFP, Israeli army officials said they would look into the allegations.

According to the Gaza Civil Defense, some of the bodies found in Khan Yunis “were stripped of their clothing, which certainly indicates that they were arrested, tortured and ill-treated by the occupying army.”

AFP images also showed Gazans flocking to the same area in search of missing relatives. Among them is Um Mohammed al-Harazin, who was looking for her husband. “He was missing for about a month. He only came out to bring us food and water. He disappeared when the Israeli army entered Khan Younes,” she said.

The Israeli army left Khan Yunis on April 7 after carrying out what it called a “precise and limited operation” at the hospital, one of the largest in the Gaza Strip.

The gruesome discovery comes as the United States, Israel’s staunch ally, has approved $13 billion in military aid for its ally. As for Hamas, which has been in power in Gaza since 2007, Washington gave Israel the green light to continue its “aggression” against the Palestinians.