The Palestinian Civil Defence has uncovered 283 bodies from a mass grave inside the grounds of the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. The temporary burial site was used during a second siege by Israeli forces in March, rendering the hospital non-operational.
The Civil Defence unit mentioned that graves were dug in the hospital yard, with some bodies belonging to people killed during the initial siege and subsequent Israeli military raid.
Families’ Desperate Search for Loved Ones
Residents have been returning to the site in search of the bodies of their loved ones. Heartbroken family members, like the mother of missing boy Jamal-Eddin Abu al-Ola, have been tirelessly searching for closure. She expressed her anguish, “I came here for the fifth day looking for the body of my son Jamal.”
Ceasefire Negotiations and Humanitarian Situation
At an EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg, Josep Borell, the bloc’s foreign policy chief, painted a grim picture of the ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas. He stated, “There is no prospect of a ceasefire and there is no real easing of the humanitarian catastrophe.”
Ceasefire and prisoner exchange talks in Cairo have made little progress. Hamas continues to demand the complete withdrawal of the Israeli military from Gaza, the return of displaced residents, and reconstruction efforts. Israel, on the other hand, prioritizes the return of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
