Gaza: The cruelties of Israel who shoot and kill Gazans, including children, in the chest and then smuggling the bodies to their country, has already been in the news. But now, another shocking piece of news is coming out from Khan Younis of Gaza.
Yesterday, a cargo container lorry arrived from Israel via the Karem Shalom border crossing to Khan Younis, Gaza, containing 89 dead bodies wrapped in blue plastic sheets. The bodies were brought to Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis.
The bodies were decayed and severely mutilated so that all of them went beyond the stage of identification through physical characters.
They might have been captured alive from Gaza and killed, or bodies kidnapped after being killed. But no one was able to identify these human bodies, even the faces were disfigured.
Israeli forces handed over the bodies to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza and the Palestinian Civil Defense. Before their cremation, many, including elderly mothers, tore open each sheet to see if their children, parents or siblings who had gone missing during the war were inside these blue plastic bags.
However, the sight of them returning with their eyes closed and crying at the sight of the disfigured faces of the dead was heartbreaking.
One of those gathered to identify the bodies said that while everyone else was getting the bodies of their deceased kin, only her son's and uncle's mortal remains went missing. She cannot bear seeing her child killed, but she asks what is more sadder than not being able to see his mortal remains.
She further said that she keeps enquiring about her son with everyone who works in civil defence. She goes everywhere where bodies are kept for identification, she added.
It is the fourth time Israel has brought mutilated and decaying bodies in large numbers to Gaza. Since medical facilities are down, the option of DNA testing is also not available.
Following the latest handover of the dead by Israel, a mass grave was made in Khan Younis and buried.