Gaza authorities have completed exhumations at Nasser Medical Complex
Muhammad al-Mughir, a director of Gaza’s Civil Defence, says it has finished exhuming bodies from Nasser Medical Complex. He said the search and recovery of bodies from the mass graves took a week, in part because of the limited resources available.
What we know about the mass graves:
More than 300 bodies were found at the Nasser Medical Complex including some with their hands tied, stripped of their clothes, and shot in the head.
The Palestinian Civil Defence says there is clear evidence that the Israeli army committed crimes against humanity by carrying out summary executions.
The UN and EU have called for urgent investigations, but Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, said that while the organisation is collecting information on the mass graves at Nasser Hospital, a mandate is required from a UN legislative body in order to take custody of any evidence.
Mass graves were also uncovered at Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital, the enclave’s largest health facility, which the UN Human Rights Council said was “an empty shell” after a two-week Israeli siege ended there on April 1.
China to host Hamas, Fatah for Palestinian unity talks: Report
A Beijing-based diplomat has told the Reuters news agency that China will host Palestinian unity talks between Hamas and its rival Fatah. A Fatah official told Reuters a delegation led by the group’s senior official, Azzam al-Ahmed, had left for China. A Hamas official said the faction’s team for the talks, led by senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk, would be flying there later on Friday.
“We support strengthening the authority of the Palestinian National Authority and support all Palestinian factions in achieving reconciliation and increasing solidarity through dialogue and consultation,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin at a regular briefing on Friday without confirming the meeting.
The visit will be the first time a Hamas delegation is publicly known to have gone to China since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza.
Hamas has been the de facto ruler in the Gaza Strip since 2007, after defeating President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party in parliamentary elections. Hamas then expelled Fatah from the enclave after the latter refused to recognise the result of the vote. Fatah, internationally recognised as the Palestinian Authority, exercises limited self-rule in the occupied West Bank.
Recognition of Palestinian statehood is not the panacea it’s made out to be
As the genocide in Gaza rages on, various European countries, including Spain and the Republic of Ireland, have indicated that they are moving towards recognising the State of Palestine.
The new Irish prime minister, Simon Harris, argued that a group of like-minded countries officially recognising a Palestinian state would “lend weight to the decision and … send the strongest message”.
Meanwhile, Spanish officials argued that this could create momentum for others to do the same. Currently, most countries in the Global South, but only very few in the West, recognise the State of Palestine.
As it stands, recognition of the State of Palestine is a political and symbolic move – it signals the recognition of the Palestinian right to sovereignty over the West Bank and Gaza.
Well with as useless as the UN is, it is indeed more symbolic than practical to be part of the UN... It doesn't matter how many more countries recognize the state of Palestine as long as US wields its veto.
