AhlulBayt News Agency: Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, Director General of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, has called for the formation of independent international investigative committees to expose the horrific crimes committed by Israeli forces against the bodies of Palestinian martyrs recently returned to Gaza.
Dr. Al-Bursh stated that what medical teams have witnessed “defies description and represents a flagrant violation of human dignity and the sanctity of the dead.”
In an interview with Palestine Newspaper, he emphasized that each body “requires an international investigative committee,” noting signs of mutilation, being crushed by armored vehicles, and execution-style gunshots to the head and chest.
He added that forensic experts observed disturbing evidence of “sadism and Nazi-like treatment” inflicted on the bodies after death.
Al-Bursh revealed that the Ministry of Health received 315 bodies via the International Committee of the Red Cross, but only 89 were identified. Due to limited resources, 182 were buried in a mass grave without identification.
He further reported that some bodies arrived decapitated, handcuffed, or blindfolded, while others showed surgical incisions, raising serious concerns about organ harvesting.
“We saw carefully opened chests, with hearts, livers, kidneys, and even corneas missing. This is not the first time the occupation has committed such crimes,” Al-Bursh said.
He also described bodies that appeared to have been attacked by trained dogs, including one case involving wild animals, calling the scene “horrifying and soul-chilling.”
Al-Bursh confirmed that the bodies were delivered in inhumane conditions, forcing medical teams to use fish freezers to preserve them temporarily for identification purposes.
“We don’t have enough morgues or DNA labs—they were destroyed by the occupation,” he added.
Regarding the burial of bodies before completing forensic investigations, Al-Bursh said it was a necessary decision due to lack of resources, warning that losing forensic evidence could hinder legal efforts to prove the crimes.
He stressed that the ministry followed limited protocols to collect samples but urgently needs international technical support to properly document the atrocities.
“The absence of investigative tools could result in the loss of the right to prosecute the perpetrators,” he warned.
Al-Bursh said the identification process is ongoing, with families relying on personal items like clothing, rings, or dental features to recognize their loved ones.
Some families identified martyrs by engraved wedding bands or unique sandals.
In conclusion, Dr. Al-Bursh issued an urgent appeal to the international community and human rights organizations to activate investigative committees to prove crimes of genocide, organ theft, and post-mortem abuse.
He also urged the Red Cross to release full records of the martyrs, including the 182 buried without identification.
According to the Palestinian National Campaign to Retrieve the Martyrs’ Bodies, Israel was holding 735 Palestinian bodies before the ceasefire. A Haaretz report from July 16 revealed that the Israeli army is holding around 1,500 additional bodies from Gaza at the Sde Teiman military camp.
Human rights organizations have also reported that several Palestinian detainees from Gaza died under torture while in Israeli custody during the genocidal war that began in October 2023.
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