For Palestinians in Gaza, there is no room for death, as there is no room for life, due to Zionist crimes and Israeli savagery, writes Refaat Ibrahim from occupied Gaza. “Many die and are turned into body parts, their limbs mixed together and lost… They transport them into Israel, subject them to examination, sometimes steal organs in certain cases, and then return them as remains of many individuals, often mixed together. Thus, these bodies bear no features, and their identities remain unknown, eventually buried in mass graves in a way that degrades human dignity and attacks it even after death…”

One of the last things a person always wishes for, or perhaps their only wish after death, is to be buried in a dignified and humane way and to have a marked grave. This would allow their relatives and loved ones to visit, place flowers on their grave, and remember them always.

The right to a dignified burial is guaranteed by all human rights laws and legislation. Among these laws that ensure a person’s right to a respectful and humane burial after death are:

• International humanitarian law, which mandates respect for the bodies of the deceased, especially during armed conflicts. It prohibits burial in mass graves except in cases of extreme necessity and requires that this be done with due regard for the dignity of the deceased.

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that everyone has the right to dignity, including the right to a dignified burial.

• The Geneva Conventions, which call for the protection of civilians during armed conflicts, emphasise the need for dignified burial of bodies and prohibit mass graves unless absolutely necessary, provided that the identities of the deceased are documented.

However, the Palestinian people have been denied their rights both in life and even after death. Hundreds of Palestinian citizens in Gaza have faced random killings and genocide, buried in inhumane mass graves in violation of all human laws and the sentiments and thoughts of rational people.

According to reports from the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, citizens in Gaza have had to resort to mass graves, with more than 120 documented mass graves since 7 October 2023. Many people have been buried in these graves without their identities being known, without being recorded by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, and without their families saying goodbye to them or even knowing that they were buried there. These individuals were buried in large pits on top of each other after being killed by apartheid and racist Israeli occupation forces.

The conditions under which citizens in Gaza have been buried in mass graves are extremely harsh and beyond comprehension. One of the main reasons for the resort to mass graves has been the indiscriminate bombing of residential areas, civilian buildings, hospitals, and schools, where a large number of citizens gathered in one place were subjected to intense shelling. Many died and were turned into body parts, their limbs mixed together and lost, with some parts even vaporising or disappearing due to burns from explosive and incendiary materials in internationally banned missiles used by the Israeli occupation forces.

Additionally, cases of grave digging and body theft by Israeli forces have forced the need for mass graves. Israeli forces take bodies from graves in a brutal and monstrous manner, constituting a blatant and gross violation of human dignity. They transport them into Israel, subject them to examination, sometimes steal organs, and then return them as remains of many individuals, often mixed together. Thus, these bodies bear no features, and their identities remain unknown. They are eventually buried in mass graves in a way that degrades human dignity and attacks it even after death.

How do mass graves appear?

The form of mass graves where people are buried in Gaza involves digging a large pit next to the full cemeteries and placing tens, or sometimes hundreds, of bodies using a large excavator in a terrifying manner that reflects the horror and brutality faced by Palestinian citizens in Gaza. Afterward, the excavator pulls the sand to cover the large pit with the bodies directly, without a barrier between the body and the sand on top of the grave. This is extremely worrying, as this sand may be washed away by heavy rain, revealing the bodies or what remains of them, constituting a violation of human dignity and an assault on it after death. Animals might also dig into the soil, reaching these bodies or remains, gnawing on them or moving them elsewhere, which is horrifying and against all human laws.

For the families of these victims, the idea of mass graves is terrifying and deeply saddening. Perhaps if the families of these victims had a single wish after losing their loved ones, it would be to have a proper grave for each victim, where they could be remembered by their loved ones, and visited from time to time, with flowers placed on it. Such a grave would stand as a witness to what happened to that victim. However, for Palestinians in Gaza, there is no room for death either, as there is no room for life, due to Zionist crimes and Israeli savagery.

The Israeli occupation continues its violations against the Palestinian people, crossing all red lines and committing all internationally prohibited crimes, which represent a blatant assault on Palestinian citizens in Gaza. The occupation forces face no accountability or punishment for all these crimes, and it does not appear that they will face any, given the significant silence and neglect from the international community. Everyone turns a blind eye when Israel acts, just as everyone turns a blind eye when the victim is Palestinian.

https://johnmenadue.com/many-die-and-are-turned-into-body-parts-their-limbs-mixed-together-and-lost-mass-graves-are-a-violation-of-human-dignity/

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