Even in death, Palestinians are still denied dignity

"To find Ran Gvili, Israel desecrated hundreds of Palestinian graves and the world did not care. Here in Gaza, the Israeli operation to retrieve the body spread fear, pain and death. Israeli soldiers killed four Palestinians near the graveyard and desecrated hundreds of Palestinian graves. Hundreds of Palestinian families now have to search for and gather the remains of their loved ones, and four families have had to dig new graves."

"What was presented to the rest of the world as a standard military operation, was in reality, a serious crime under international law. Grave desecration constitutes a violation of a key provision of the Geneva Convention, which stipulates that dead bodies and graves must be respected. In the Palestinian context, the attack on cemeteries is yet another form of collective punishment. It sends a clear message: that the Palestinian people will be denied dignity even in death."

"Throughout the war, Israel has been attacking, bulldozing and digging up graveyards across the Gaza Strip. By January 2024, CNN reported that at least 16 Palestinian cemeteries in Gaza had been desecrated. Israel justified its actions by claiming that Hamas was using the cemeteries for military purposes. Satellite imagery and footage revealed that entire cemeteries were levelled, with Israeli troops converting some into military positions."

Israeli forces entered a Palestinian graveyard in northern Gaza to retrieve the body of Ran Gvili, who died on October 7, 2023. The operation resulted in the killing of four Palestinians and the desecration of hundreds of graves, forcing hundreds of families to search for and reassemble the remains of loved ones and prompting four families to dig new graves. The action violated provisions of the Geneva Conventions requiring respect for dead bodies and graves and functioned as collective punishment that denies dignity in death. Satellite imagery and reports indicate multiple cemeteries were levelled and converted into military positions despite Israeli claims of military necessity.

Read at www.aljazeera.com