A fresh mass grave was found in Gaza Strip’s Al-Shifa Hospital this week, according to Al Jazeera.

The grave was found after some employees informed relief and rescue workers that an unspecified number of bodies were dumped in the hospital’s premises over the past few months because the incessant bombardment by Israel had made it almost impossible to ensure a normal burial.

The channel’s correspondent quoted an employee of the hospital as saying he was confident that another mass grave would be found at Beit Lahiya, a town near Gaza City which bore the brunt of Israeli bombing soon after the crisis unfolded on Oct 7.

According to the channel’s correspondent, Palestinian families have been visiting the hospital to find out whether the grave contains the bodies of their loved ones. Walid Radwa Ftima was one of them. He said he was able to identify the body of his mother thanks to a distinctive mark on her leg.

Israel’s onslaught in Gaza was triggered by the Hamas’ raid inside the Jewish state on Oct 7, which by its tallies killed 1,200 with 253 taken prisoner.

The subsequent bombardment has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians, displaced the majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million people and caused a grave humanitarian crisis.

Israel has faced growing global opposition to the relentless bombardment of Gaza, which the United Nations and aid agencies have warned has pushed the north of the territory to the brink of famine. But Netanyahu rejected any claims about famine on Wednesday, saying Israel is doing “above and beyond” what is needed “on the humanitarian issue”.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2024