Dismembered remains in boxes... The tragedy of Gaza families identifying mutilated martyrs' bodies

The crimes of the Israeli occupation against the people of the Gaza Strip continue, as it detains hundreds of martyrs' bodies during the war, then delivers them as mutilated bodies and dismembered remains that are difficult to identify due to torture and decomposition, which increases the suffering of the families of the missing in their attempt to identify the fate of their children. Yesterday evening, Wednesday, Al-Shifa Complex witnessed the arrival of 54 bodies and 66 boxes containing dismembered remains and human organs, which were released by the Israeli occupation, through the Red Cross organization. The Palestinian Ministry of Health stated that its medical teams continue to deal with the bodies according to approved medical procedures and protocols, in cooperation with relevant bodies and committees, in preparation for completing examination, documentation, and delivery to the families.

The Palestinian Center for Missing Persons and Forcibly Disappeared Persons stated that the Israeli army's delivery of 54 bodies and 66 boxes containing dismembered remains and human organs raises real and escalating concerns about deliberate tampering with the bodies, including mutilation and dismemberment, and reinforces fears and suspicions about organ theft. The center reminded that the occupation authorities still detain hundreds of bodies of Palestinian martyrs, including at least 777 documented martyrs, among them children, women, and prisoners, in addition to hundreds of martyrs from the Gaza Strip whose bodies are detained without disclosing their identities or the circumstances of their detention.

The Palestinian Center for Missing Persons and Forcibly Disappeared Persons stressed that what is happening necessitates an urgent and independent international investigation into the fate of the detained bodies, and an examination of the possibilities of tampering, mutilation, and organ theft.

Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, Director-General of the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, commented, asking: "What law permits returning a human being as dismembered remains? How can we return names to bodies when we do not possess the necessary examination tools, nor the minimum forensic medical capabilities that enable us to identify or document them as befits human dignity? We are not dealing with numbers recorded in reports, but with fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, each of whom has a name, a memory, a dream, and a home that is still waiting."

Al-Bursh condemned the delivery of martyrs' bodies in boxes and as dismembered remains, describing these violations as not merely a procedural violation, but a moral and humanitarian crime, and a blatant violation of all international laws and conventions that were once established to protect human dignity, alive and dead.

Today, the forensic medicine and criminal evidence departments began their work at Al-Shifa Medical Complex, to deal with the remains of the martyrs that were received yesterday from the International Committee of the Red Cross. The director of Al-Shifa Complex explained that the specialized teams are working according to approved protocols for dealing with bodies and human organ parts, with the aim of documenting them and identifying the identities of the martyrs, in preparation for informing their families and enabling them to identify their relatives, within a humanitarian and legal framework that preserves the dignity of the martyrs and the rights of their families.

After receiving the bodies of martyrs after their release by the occupation previously, forensic medicine and criminal evidence faced difficulty in identifying the identities of the martyrs due to the disappearance of their features as a result of torture and abuse of the bodies, which led to the burial of dozens of them as unidentified in mass graves without being identified.

What law permits returning a human being as dismembered remains? How can we return names to bodies when we do not possess the necessary examination tools?