AhlulBayt News Agency: The Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs in Gaza reported that 67% of the territory’s cemeteries have been destroyed by Israeli forces since the war began in October 2023.
The ministry stated that around 40 out of Gaza’s 60 cemeteries were either fully or partially demolished during the ongoing conflict.
It condemned a recent attack on the historic Turkish cemetery in al-Mawasi, Khan Yunis, where Israeli forces reportedly desecrated graves and exhumed bodies.
According to the ministry, Israeli tanks and bulldozers entered the cemetery at dawn, destroying burial sites and removing corpses.
The ministry described the incident as inhumane and a violation of religious and international norms, accusing Israeli forces of stealing the remains of the deceased.
It emphasized that the assault breached both divine law and international conventions.
The attack also involved the destruction of IDP camps near the cemetery, displacing hundreds of families who had sought shelter from bombardment.
The ministry warned that such actions worsen Gaza’s already dire humanitarian situation.
It accused Israel of targeting cemeteries under false pretenses, claiming the regime now persecutes Palestinians even after death.
The ministry called on global legal and human rights organizations to investigate and hold Israel accountable for crimes against both the living and the dead.
Despite the devastation, the ministry affirmed the Palestinian people’s resolve to protect their land, sacred sites, and the dignity of their deceased.
On the same day, UNRWA’s commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini described Gaza as a “graveyard of children and starving people” following the killing of 15 civilians, including nine children, in Deir el-Balah.
Lazzarini condemned Israel’s actions as a cruel strategy that forces Palestinians to choose between starvation or being shot.
He warned that international values are being buried in Gaza and urged global action to prevent further deterioration.
Meanwhile, nearly 170 NGOs demanded an end to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), criticizing its failure to protect aid seekers from Israeli attacks.
The UN rights office reported nearly 800 Palestinians killed while seeking aid, mostly at GHF-run sites.
Activists argue that GHF is a façade for humanitarianism, masking the brutality of a war that has killed over 57,700 and injured more than 137,600 Palestinians.
The conflict has displaced over two million people, forcing them into just 15% of Gaza’s territory.
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