The Disturbed Graves of Gaza: A Grim Tale of War and Loss

In Gaza's war-torn Khan Younis, residents recount how Israeli forces repeatedly dug up graves in Bani Suhaila cemetery. Families, like those of Bilal Al-Qahwaji, can't locate their loved ones' remains. This act, possibly a war crime, exacerbates the existing humanitarian crisis. Calls for international intervention grow louder.

In Gaza's war-ravaged Khan Younis, even the dead cannot find peace. Residents report that Israeli soldiers have exhumed graves multiple times in the Bani Suhaila cemetery. Bilal Al-Qahwaji buried several family members there in November, after an Israeli airstrike, but can no longer locate their bodies.

"They (Israeli forces) dug it up once again – a first, second and third time," he said. "There are no corpses. My martyrs are all in this area and I didn't find them," added Qahwaji.

The Israeli military declined to comment, but previously has cited destroying a Hamas tunnel underneath as the reason for their actions. The International Criminal Court defines the desecration of dead bodies as a war crime. Besides grave desecration, Gaza's ongoing conflict has made reaching cemeteries perilous, driving families to bury their dead in informal sites.

(With inputs from agencies.)