TOP OF THE AGENDA

Mass graves and body bags in al-Shifa

Many bodies "are decomposed and completely unidentifiable", one rescue worker said. Credit: Reuters

On 1 April, Israeli forces pulled out of Gaza's vast al-Shifa hospital complex, following a surprise raid described by the Israeli government as "precise and surgical". In the weeks that followed, Palestinian search teams pored over burnt-out ruins, finding four mass graves. They say several hundred bodies have been found. Working with a journalist in Gaza, Yolande Knell and Rushdi Abu Alouf have heard from many Gazans about their experience coming back to al-Shifa, which they said reeked of death. Israel has said that “over 200 terrorists” were killed in and around the complex, and that there was “not a single civilian casualty” from its raid. However, my colleagues have been given strong testimony that there were Palestinian civilians killed by heavy Israeli bombardment and intense shooting in the surrounding neighbourhood. The UN Security Council, US and European Union have called for an independent investigation into possible war crimes. Our report contains distressing content.

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• Scenes of destruction: Footage shot after the Israeli raid shows the hospital buildings in ruin and its courtyard filled with rubble.

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• In Washington: The House of Representatives has voted to pass legislation that would sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) after its prosecutor applied for arrest warrants against Israeli officials.

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• In northern Israel: Rockets fired across the border by Lebanese group Hezbollah have sparked days of bushfires, with swathes of forest reserve destroyed and 11 people hospitalised for smoke inhalation.

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