Why is Everyone Avoiding a Probe into Gaza Hospital Massacre?

A woman reacts as people gather at the site of the Ahli Arab hospital in central Gaza on October 18, 2023 in the aftermath of an overnight blast there. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS / AFP)
A woman reacts as people gather at the site of the Ahli Arab hospital in central Gaza on October 18, 2023 in the aftermath of an overnight blast there. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS / AFP)
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Why is Everyone Avoiding a Probe into Gaza Hospital Massacre?

A woman reacts as people gather at the site of the Ahli Arab hospital in central Gaza on October 18, 2023 in the aftermath of an overnight blast there. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS / AFP)
A woman reacts as people gather at the site of the Ahli Arab hospital in central Gaza on October 18, 2023 in the aftermath of an overnight blast there. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS / AFP)

The recent massacre that tragically took place at the Baptist Hospital in Gaza, is an incident that Israel contends resulted from a failed strike by the Islamic Jihad.

Meanwhile, Palestinians collectively view it as an Israeli operation, a catastrophic event at best, and at worst, a meticulously planned mass murder.

This event marks yet another poignant chapter in the ever-evolving history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Much like the indelible memories of the Sabra and Shatila massacres, the Qana massacre, and the suicide bombings on the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, it joins the ranks of the Hebron massacre and the burning of Al-Aqsa Mosque, serving as fodder for deepening animosity and igniting the flames of hatred on both sides.

The Gaza massacre warrants an impartial and expeditious professional probe, refraining from adopting a one-sided narrative over the other.

The paramount focus should be on halting the ongoing conflict to prevent further bloodshed.

Israel is making extraordinary efforts to absolve itself of direct responsibility for this particular massacre. After successfully convincing US President Joe Biden that the blame rests on the Islamic Jihad, they are endeavoring to persuade others in the region and the world.

They are aware that if they can advance this narrative, it would deal a severe blow to the Palestinians and mitigate the overall criticism directed at Israel.

They present images, videos, and expert reports, claiming that the Jihad rocket was launched from a location near the hospital but misfired, similar to many other rockets.

The hospital bombing occurred more than a week after renewed Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Israel declared war on Gaza and has retaliated with airstrikes and put the region under siege.

Out of an approximate total of 3,500 Palestinians who lost their lives in Israeli airstrikes, there were dozens of families entirely wiped out, every member gone. The airstrikes continue unabated on a large scale.

In related news, Joyce Msuya, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNRWA), has said that the number of internally displaced persons in Gaza since the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has reached 1 million.

“In reality, civilians have nowhere to go—nowhere to escape the bombs and missiles, and nowhere to find water or food, or to escape the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe,” said Msuya.

“As civilians are packed into an ever-smaller area, the essentials they need to survive—shelter, water, food, power and medical care—have all but run out,” she added.



Syrians Face Horror, Fearing Loved Ones May Be in Mass Graves

People search for human remains at a trench believed to be used as a mass grave on the outskirts of Damascus - AFP
People search for human remains at a trench believed to be used as a mass grave on the outskirts of Damascus - AFP
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Syrians Face Horror, Fearing Loved Ones May Be in Mass Graves

People search for human remains at a trench believed to be used as a mass grave on the outskirts of Damascus - AFP
People search for human remains at a trench believed to be used as a mass grave on the outskirts of Damascus - AFP

After losing hope of finding his two brothers among those freed from Syrian jails, Ziad Alaywi was filled with dread, knowing there was only one place they were likely to be: a mass grave.

"We want to know where our children are, our brothers," said the 55-year-old standing by a deep trench near Najha, southeast of Damascus.

"Were they killed? Are they buried here?" he asked, pointing to the ditch, one of several believed to hold the bodies of prisoners tortured to death.

International organizations have called these acts "crimes against humanity".

Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime on December 8 and the takeover by an Islamist-led opposition alliance, families across Syria have been searching for their loved ones.

"I've looked for my brothers in all the prisons," said the driver from the Damascus suburbs, whose siblings and four cousins were arrested over a decade ago.

"I've searched all the documents that might give me a clue to their location," he added, but it was all in vain.

Residents say there are at least three other similar sites, where diggers were frequently seen working in areas once off-limits under the former government.

- 'Peace of mind' -

The dirt at the pit where Alaywi stands looks loose, freshly dug. Children run and play nearby.

If the site was investigated, "it would allow many people to have peace of mind and stop hoping for the return of a son who will never return", he said.

"It's not just one, two, or three people who are being sought. It's thousands."

He called on international forensic investigators to "open these mass graves so we can finally know where our children are."

Many Syrians who spoke to AFP in recent days expressed disappointment at not finding their loved ones in the prisons opened after the takeover by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

A few kilometres (miles) from Najha, a team of about 10 people, most in white overalls, was transferring small white bags into larger black ones with numbers.

Syrian Civil Defense teams have received numerous calls from people claiming to have seen cars dumping bags by the roadside at night. The bags were later found to contain bones.

"Since the fall of the regime, we've received over 100 calls about mass graves. People believe every military site has one," said civil defence official Omar al-Salmo.

- Safeguard evidence -

The claim isn't without reason, said Salmo, considering "the few people who've left prisons and the exponential number of missing people."

There are no official figures on how many detainees have been released from Syrian jails in the past 10 days, but estimates fall far short of the number missing since 2011.

In 2022, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor estimated that more than 100,000 people had died in prison, mostly due to torture, since the war began.

"We're doing our best with our modest expertise," said Salmo. His team is collecting bone samples for DNA tests.

On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch urged the new Syrian authorities to "secure, collect and safeguard evidence, including from mass grave sites and government records... that will be vital in future criminal trials".

The rights group also called for cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross, which could "provide critical expertise" to help safeguard the records and clarify the fate of missing people.

Days after Assad's fall, HRW teams visiting Damascus's Tadamun district, the site of a massacre in April 2013, found "scores of human remains".

In Daraa province, Mohammad Khaled regained control of his farm in Izraa, seized for years by military intelligence.

"I noticed that the ground was uneven," said Khaled.

"We were surprised to discover a body, then another," he said. In just one day, he and others including a forensic doctor exhumed a total of 22 bodies.