A bulldozer is used to search for mass graves at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city this month. AFP
A bulldozer is used to search for mass graves at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city this month. AFP
A bulldozer is used to search for mass graves at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city this month. AFP
A bulldozer is used to search for mass graves at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city this month. AFP

Dozens of bodies found in third mass grave at Gaza's Al Shifa Hospital


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At least 49 bodies have been found buried near Al Shifa Hospital in the latest discovery of a mass grave within a medical compound in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas, which rules Gaza and has been locked in a war with Israel since October 7, said on Thursday that the latest discovery demanded international attention, calling it a "horror that has exceeded the limits of human imagination".

It is the third mass grave discovered at Al Shifa in Gaza city. It was once the enclave's biggest medical complex but has been destroyed by the Israeli military.

"Recovery operations are still ongoing," a local governmental media office statement said. "We are expecting to find dozens of new bodies."

It clarified that the dead were medical, nursing and administrative staff who were working at Al Shifa Hospital. Hundreds of wounded people, patients and displaced people had been killed, it said.

Seven mass graves have been found on hospital grounds around Gaza – one at Kamal Adwan in the north of the enclave, three at Al Shifa in central Gaza and another three at Al Nasser medical complex in Khan Younis in the south, with a total of 520 bodies found.

Last month, at least 300 bodies were found at Al Nasser, which had been raided and severely damaged by Israeli forces. Some of those buried had been stripped naked, with their hands tied.

Speaking to The National at the time from the scene, civil defence official Mohammad Massoud said most of the bodies were unidentified as they had decomposed or were in pieces.

"We found bones of children, women and men," he said, adding that the bodies were dealt with "savagely" and that there had been no respect for the dead. "Most of the bodies were not in shrouds."

At least 20 of those discovered at Al Nasser were believed to have been buried alive, officials said.

Hamas called on rights groups to gather the evidence and submit it to the International Criminal Court so that those responsible could be prosecuted.

Meanwhile, Palestine’s envoy to the UN urged the Security Council to call for independent investigations into the mass graves discovered at Al Shifa and Nasser hospitals.

Riyad Mansour stressed the need to “establish the precise circumstances under which hundreds of Palestinians lost their lives and were buried, or reburied”. In a letter to council members, he said: “The time for accountability is long past due.”

Israel's war in Gaza, following the attacks carried out by Hamas on southern Israel, has killed more than 34,900 people, with an estimated 10,000 missing.

Israel has firmly rejected claims it is responsible for the mass graves.

The Israeli army launched weeks-long raids on several hospitals, killing and displacing medical staff and patients. The army claimed the buildings were being used as command centres by Hamas. Hospital authorities and Hamas denied the claims.

From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

Squid Game season two

Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk 

Stars:  Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun

Rating: 4.5/5

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The biog

Favourite car: Ferrari

Likes the colour: Black

Best movie: Avatar

Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl

Transmission: eight-speed auto

Power: 190bhp

Torque: 300Nm

Price: Dh169,900

On sale: now 

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Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE

Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:

• Buy second hand stuff

 They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.

• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres

 Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.

• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.

Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.

• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home

Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.

While you're here
Long read

Mageed Yahia, director of WFP in UAE: Coronavirus knows no borders, and neither should the response

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

TOUR RESULTS AND FIXTURES

June 3: NZ Provincial Barbarians 7 Lions 13
June 7: Blues 22 Lions 16
June 10: Crusaders 3 Lions 12
June 13: Highlanders 23 Lions 22
June 17: Maori All Blacks 10 Lions 32
June 20: Chiefs 6 Lions 34
June 24: New Zealand 30 Lions 15 (First Test)
June 27: Hurricanes 31 Lions 31
July 1: New Zealand 21 Lions 24 (Second Test)
July 8: New Zealand v Lions (Third Test) - kick-off 11.30am (UAE)

Emergency phone numbers in the UAE

Estijaba – 8001717 –  number to call to request coronavirus testing

Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111

Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre

Emirates airline – 600555555

Etihad Airways – 600555666

Ambulance – 998

Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries

The specs

Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

Power: 271 and 409 horsepower

Torque: 385 and 650Nm

Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
India cancels school-leaving examinations

White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogenChromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxideUltramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica contentOphiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on landOlivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour

Updated: May 09, 2024, 1:25 PM