‘Evidence’ and ‘witnesses’ among things to look for if mass graves in Gaza are investigated, lawyer says
Human rights lawyer Geoffrey Nice says it is important, in the case of any potential investigation into the mass graves in Gaza, to find evidence of how those killed were “before … or when they died”.
“Were their hands tied behind their backs, did they show signs of having been tortured in any visible way?” Nice told Al Jazeera.
When it comes to looking at the bodies, he said it is important for investigators to identify whether they were all “routinely” killed, or if they were all killed in “different ways”.
It is also important to find witnesses, Nice said.
“You can demand from Israel a written account, a record of how this came about, because you wouldn’t deploy a group of soldiers to fill a mass grave like this without there being some kind of record,” he added.
“So there is a whole lot of stuff to be done, and the sooner, the better.”
He said countries “completely uninvolved” and “unengaged” in the conflict would be suitable independent investigators.
USA wants to stall instead
US wants to look into mass grave reports before ‘making determinations’: Ambassador
We’ve been reporting on growing calls for an independent investigation as more mass graves are uncovered in Gaza. Al Jazeera’s Gabriel Elizondo asked US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood if the US is planning to join the European Union in calling for an independent investigation.
Wood said the US has “obviously seen the reports” and photographs of the mass graves but that they want to “look into this a bit more and find out what exactly happened”.
Wood added the US would need to “find out all the facts we need to find out before we start making determinations”.
Growing calls for an independent investigation into the mass graves being uncovered in Gaza.
At the UN, Robert Wood, US Deputy Ambassador, stopped by the stakeout. Here is what I asked him and his answers:
Q: There is another mass grave found; 51 people. Several mass graves… pic.twitter.com/ZmgeN06EYu
— Gabriel Elizondo (@elizondogabriel) April 24, 2024
But they don't want an independent investigation. Just want to give Israel time to cook up some more lies and wait for the next atrocity to take the spot light.
US not in favour of ‘independent’ investigation of Gaza mass graves
You will notice that from the White House’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, we never heard the word “independent”. That is the major difference between the US’s call for an investigation into the mass graves compared to that of other world leaders and of the UN High Commissioner [for human rights].
In fact, the US deputy ambassador to the UN told Al Jazeera earlier that the United States is not ready to endorse an independent investigation, but rather, the US would be talking to countries … and looking at photographs.
So there is still a lot of distance between what the US is calling for and what many other world leaders are calling for. And as far as accountability, certainly, we are very far from that step.
Journalist retraces his mother’s final moments before she was killed at al-Shifa
Palestinian journalist Mohammad Kuri-kea has been reporting on the war in Gaza. But now he’s covering a personal tragedy. His mother was killed by Israeli forces when they raided al-Shifa Hospital in March.
