Israeli army razes Turkish cemetery in Gaza, exhumes bodies

In another disturbing display of violence, the Israeli military demolished a Turkish cemetery in southern Gaza using tanks and bulldozers, in search of the bodies of any Israeli hostages.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Endowments, Israeli forces exhumed bodies and desecrated graves on July 10 in the al-Mawasi area, located west of Khan Yunis.

The ministry condemned the act as a “flagrant violation of sanctity” and an “assault on the dignity of the dead.”

Ministry officials emphasised that the Israeli assault has extended beyond targeting the living now, even the dead are not spared. The destruction of the Turkish cemetery, they said, is a grave insult to human dignity and a serious breach of religious and moral values.

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Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli bulldozers relentlessly plowed through the cemetery, while nearby camps housing displaced Palestinians were also reduced to rubble.

The Ministry of Endowments further revealed that nearly two-thirds of Gaza’s 60 cemeteries have either been completely destroyed or severely damaged since the beginning of Israel’s assault on Gaza in October 2023.

According to international law, cemeteries must be protected and treated with respect. The reported actions by Israeli forces are widely seen as a clear violation of humanitarian principles and the laws of war.