Predictably, Al Jazeera’s coverage was most in line with Hamas’s propaganda, uncritically parroting statements by the Civil Defense in Gaza as well as international leaders responding to the reports released by Hamas.
Unearthing the Story Behind the Gazan Mass Graves | HonestReporting "Over the past week, Palestinian teams have been unearthing mass graves outside two Gaza medical complexes, Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis and Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City, following the withdrawal of Israeli forces who were conducting counter-terrorism operations in the area.
"With the opening of these mass graves, social media and some traditional news outlets have been abuzz with claims that these graves are evidence of mass killings of Palestinians by Israelis and that some of those found inside the graves show signs of being tortured and killed execution-style with their hands tied behind their backs.
"However, much like other sensationalist news stories about Israel’s conduct during its ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza, the story of the mass graves being propounded online and by some media outlets is a mixture of deception, falsehoods, and a reliance on biased sources." . . .
What Is the Story Behind the Mass Graves?
"Much of the news regarding the mass graves has surrounded the exhumation of hundreds of bodies on the grounds of Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis.
"However, unlike that which is being claimed, these mass graves were not dug by Israeli forces during their months-long siege and battle against Hamas terrorists operating within the medical complex.
"Rather, these graves were dug by Palestinians prior to the arrival of the Israeli military in mid-February 2024.
"Analysts have observed that these mass graves which are now being unearthed were documented as first being dug and used in late January and early February 2024 to bury people who had died in the hospital and could not be transported to a formal cemetery for internment.
"As the battle between Israel and Hamas intensified around the medical complex, it is possible that newer bodies (of those who had been killed during the firefight or who had died at the hospital during the battle) were added to these mass graves. However, as noted by the Times of Israel, it is uncharacteristic for the IDF to “tend to the bodies of slain Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”
"Thus, if newer bodies were added to these mass graves over the course of the IDF’s operations in the area, it is likely that they were buried by Palestinians and not by Israelis.
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