Palestinian Emergency Services Uncovered more than 180 Bodies

Palestinians mourn their loved ones (Image credit: AFP via Getty Images)

Mavhungunekuvule Mungomeni

(The Post News) – In Khan Younis City, in the southern Gaza Strip, Nasser Hospital has become a site of immense sorrow as it now serves as a makeshift resting place for the victims of Israeli attacks. Palestinian emergency services uncovered more than 180 bodies on a heartbreaking Sunday, April 21st.

Sadly, this number is expected to rise as Civil Defense Authority teams tirelessly search the hospital grounds. The airstrikes from Israel claimed many lives here, including those of innocent children. The difficult task of finding and identifying the remains began on April 7th, coinciding with the withdrawal of military forces from Khan Younis City.

According to Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, civil defense members and paramedics have recovered bodies from a mass grave within the hospital courtyard, reportedly created by the Israeli military. Among the deceased are elderly women, children, and young men.

Israel’s offensive against Gaza has resulted in the deaths of over 34,000 Palestinians, as reported by local health authorities. The attacks have caused extensive damage to Gaza’s major urban centers and inflicted widespread destruction across the region. Shockingly, at least two-thirds of the fatalities are innocent children and women. The actual death toll is likely higher, with many victims trapped beneath the debris of bombed buildings, inaccessible to rescue teams.

The conflict escalated after Hamas militants and other Palestinian factions launched an attack inside Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,139 people and the capture of over 200 individuals.

Palestinian emergency services have reported that their teams are continuing their search and retrieval operations for the remaining victims in the coming days, as there are still a significant number of them. Ahead of an EU Foreign Ministers Council meeting, Ireland’s foreign minister, Michael Martin, expressed his belief that the response has been fully disproportionate and a breach of humanitarian law. He pointed out that Gaza has been destroyed, and many innocent men, women, and children have been killed, which is a violation of their rights.

The population of Gaza is being subjected to collective punishment due to the actions of Hamas, and this is completely unacceptable. The country is still grieving for the loved ones who were lost in this ongoing war, which continues to impact the lives of citizens.