Satellite images show that Israeli forces have desecrated at least 16 cemeteries in Gaza
The Israeli military desecrated at least 16 cemeteries in its ground offensive in Gaza, a CNN investigation has found, leaving behind destroyed tombstones, disturbed earth and, in some cases, unearthed bodies.
In Khan Younis in southern Gaza, where fighting intensified earlier this week, Israeli forces destroyed a cemetery and removed bodies. The Israeli Defense Forces told CNN that this was part of a search for the remains of hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 terrorist attacks.
CNN examined satellite images and social media images showing the destruction of cemeteries and witnessed it firsthand while traveling in a convoy with the IDF. Taken together, the evidence reveals a systematic practice by which Israeli ground forces advanced throughout the Gaza Strip.
The deliberate destruction of religious sites such as cemeteries violates international law, except in very limited cases where the site becomes a military target. Legal experts told CNN that Israel's actions could constitute war crimes.
An IDF spokesman could not explain the destruction of the 16 cemeteries for which CNN provided coordinates, but said the military sometimes has “no choice” but to attack cemeteries that Hamas allegedly uses for military purposes.
The IDF stated that rescuing hostages and finding and returning their bodies was one of its main tasks in Gaza, which is why bodies were removed from some graves.
“The process of identifying the hostages, carried out in a safe and alternative location, ensures optimal professional conditions and respect for the deceased,” an IDF spokesman told CNN, adding that the bodies, which were not hostages, ” “would be returned with dignity and respect.” “
But in other cases, the Israeli military appears to have used cemeteries as military outposts. CNN's analysis of satellite images and video showed Israeli bulldozers turning several cemeteries into positions, bulldozing large strips and building berms to fortify their positions.
In the Shajaiya district of Gaza City, Israeli military vehicles could be seen surrounded on all sides by embankments at the site where the cemetery once stood. The central part of the Shajaiya cemetery was cleared before the war, local media reported. However, satellite images showed that other parts had only recently been destroyed and that the IDF presence was already visible on December 10.
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