Colombia Calls for Investigation into Mass Graves Found in Gaza

Colombia is calling for an investigation into mass graves found in Gaza. The macabre discovery took place a few days ago on the outskirts and under the rubble of the Al Shifa hospital in the north and the Nasser hospital in central Gaza. The graves contained hundreds of human bodies. Some of them had their hands tied and had been stripped of their clothes.

In view of these facts, the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a communiqué in which it announced that it joined the calls for “a complete and independent investigation” to clarify the facts, given that “war crimes” could have been committed.

Likewise, the Colombian diplomacy insisted once again on the urgent need for a sustained ceasefire, the immediate release of the hostages, as well as the regular entry of the necessary quantities of aid for the civilian population, all of which are actions urgently needed to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

Macabre discovery of mass graves in Gaza

On April 25, the macabre discovery of an unknown number of mass graves near the ruins of two health centers, the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, located in the center of Gaza City, and the Al-Shifa Hospital, located in the north of the Gaza Strip, became known.

According to the spokesperson of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Office, Ravina Shamdasani, the bodies of hundreds of Palestinians were “buried deep in the ground and covered with debris”. According to this international source, among the nearly 400 corpses were older people, women and previously injured people.

In total, 283 bodies were recovered from the ruins of Nassar Hospital, of which at least 56 have already been identified. In Al-Shifa Hospital, 30 bodies of Palestinian citizens have been recovered, of which only 15 have been identified so far.

Colombia, together with other countries, urged an investigation into what happened, in case the facts could constitute “war crimes”. This is something which, together with the accusations of “genocide”, the country has repeated in direct accusation against Israel for its military campaign in Gaza, which is approaching seven full months of warfare.

Unabated violence in Gaza

Since October 7 last year, when Hamas attacked civilians in Israel, more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military operations against Hamas. However, in the attacks by the Israeli army, the main population affected has been the civilian population; more than 14,000 dead are minors, to which must be added 9,000 non-combatant women.

The justification of the Israeli authorities is that Hamas militiamen mingle with the civilian population, using them as human shields and also as unofficial combatants. In fact Hamas prevented civilians from escaping northern Gaza when Israel warned of their first bombing raid.

The terrible findings of the last few days could possibly add weight to the arguments of those who, for months, have been directly accusing Israel of genocide and war crimes. In this regard, the lawsuit before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), led by South Africa and seconded among other countries by Colombia, ordered Israel to take “all necessary measures” to “prevent” the committing of any act amounting to genocide in the Gaza Strip.

Anti-Israel protests reach US universities

In addition to the various international diplomatic voices crying out against Israel’s military operations in Gaza, student mobilizations in US universities have recently been added to the list of protests. The protests began on April 24 and have been gaining followers beyond the State of Columbia, where the protest actions began.

Today, more than 60 higher education institutions have experienced demonstrations in favor of the Palestinian people and rejecting Israeli military violence against civilians. The White House has criticized the demonstrations, while the United Nations has called for freedom of expression to be guaranteed.

Despite the coercive measures, and the more than 500 students arrested, the protests continue unabated. On April 26, the University of Florida threatened students who demonstrate on campus with suspension and even expulsion for three years.

The demonstrations have in common the rejection of US policy towards Israel and the demand that educational institutions break off relations with the Israeli government and private sector, which is very powerful and influential in the country.