Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al-Mayadeen's correspondent in southern Lebanon: Israeli occupation forces withdraw from the Blida municipality building two hours after occupying it, and the Lebanese army enters
Pakistani army: 6 soldiers and 7 militants killed in clash near the Afghan border
Israeli media: Sirens sound in the settlement of Kerem Shalom in the Gaza envelope area
Afghan source to Al Mayadeen: We still believe in dialogue and prioritize diplomatic solutions with Pakistan; though we are ready for all possibilities.
Afghan source to Al Mayadeen: Pakistan purposely obstructed negotiations in Turkey by making unrealistic demands.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: More than 70 martyrs in Israeli attacks on Gaza since dawn.
Death toll from latest Israeli strikes on Gaza rises to 30
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Five killed in the Israeli bombing of a civilian vehicle on Al-Qassam Street in Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip
Hamas confirms that it has no connection to the shooting incident in Rafah and affirms its commitment to the ceasefire agreement
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Two civilians were killed and four others, including a child and an infant, were injured in an Israeli bombing of a house belonging to the Al-Banna family in the al-Sabra neighborhood, south of Gaza City

IOF steal 150 Gaza martyrs bodies, raising concern of organ theft

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 6 Jan 2024 15:15
  • 8 Shares
7 Min Read

Israeli occupation forces commit yet another heinous crime of razing a cemetery and seizing the bodies of Palestinian martyrs.

  • x
  • IOF desecrate 150 Gaza martyrs bodies, raising concern of organ theft
    A Palestinian father buries the body of his child at a cemetery in Deir al-Balah in Gaza. (AP)

In a heart-wrenching statement, the Government Media Office in Gaza revealed that the Israeli occupation forces committed a new atrocity, involving razing a cemetery in al-Tuffah neighborhood east of Gaza City and desecrating approximately 1,100 graves.

According to the official statement, Israeli military vehicles were involved in digging out the graves and callously stealing the bodies of martyrs. Shockingly, the graves were not only desecrated but also violated, demonstrating a complete disregard for the sanctity of the deceased and the sacredness of the cemetery.

Following this heinous act, the Israeli occupation forces reportedly stole around 150 bodies of recently buried martyrs. These bodies were dug out from their graves and transported to an undisclosed location. This has sparked suspicions of yet another crime, specifically the theft of organs from the martyrs.

In response to these grave violations, the Gaza Government Media Office urgently called on all free world countries and the international community to intervene, putting an end to the Israeli occupation's genocidal war against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. 

Not an isolated incident 

On December 27, the Government Media Office in Gaza revealed that the Israeli occupation forces handed over the mutilated bodies of 80 martyrs after stealing their organs, adding that the bodies were unidentified and the occupation refused to specify the names of these martyrs or the places from which they were stolen.

The occupation repeated the crime of stealing organs more than once during its real-time genocidal war, as per the statement.

Meanwhile, it was highlighted that Israeli occupation forces have been involved in a grave crime, specifically the kidnapping of the bodies of Palestinian martyrs and the theft of their vital organs.

🚨🇮🇱 Israeli soldiers dig up GRAVES and ASSAULT the DEAD BODIES of Palestinians!
pic.twitter.com/JvX1qBp86u

— Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸 (@jacksonhinklle) December 22, 2023

The statement further pointed out that "Israel" had previously engaged in desecrating graves in Jabalia, underscoring that "Israel" continues to hold numerous martyrs' bodies from the Gaza Strip.

The statement strongly emphasized that this heinous crime is just one in a series of atrocities committed by the Israeli occupation army, particularly following the green light given by the United States to kill civilians, including children and women, en masse.

The office, in its statement, called for the formation of a completely independent international investigation committee to probe the Israeli army's seizure of martyrs' bodies and the theft of their vital organs.

It also expressed deep shock at international organizations' "eerie silence", most notably the International Red Cross operating in the Gaza Strip. The statement also criticized these organizations for their feeble, secondary, and confused positions, emphasizing that they fall far short of the humanitarian and ethical standpoint required in the face of such heinous crimes committed by "Israel".

Related News

Sde Teiman horrors: 135 Palestinian bodies ‘Israel’ returned mutilated

Hamas demands int'l probe into mutilated bodies returned by 'Israel'

'Israel' steals bodies of Gazans 

The invading Israeli forces frequently targeted numerous cemeteries in the Gaza Strip, causing extensive damage, desecration of graves, and the theft of bodies, as reported by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor on December 14.

Based on field documentation, these attacks have affected al-Falujah cemetery in the northern part, Ali bin Marwan, Sheikh Radwan, al-Shuhada, and Sheikh Shaaban cemeteries, along with St. Porphyrius Church cemetery in Gaza City. These assaults have resulted in the destruction of numerous graves, displaying a complete disregard for the sanctity of the deceased.

Frequent Israeli attacks have caused significant damage, resulting in large holes within these cemeteries, impacting dozens of graves, as per Euro-Med Monitor.

Numerous graves have been seriously damaged, and in some cases, the remains of deceased individuals have been scattered or gone missing. Reports received by Euro-Med Monitor indicated that Israeli occupation forces dug up several graves in al-Faluja cemetery, stealing the bodies of Palestinians amid arising concerns about potential organ theft.

The Monitor strongly emphasized that even the deceased have not been spared in the ongoing Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, which commenced on October 7. The organization highlighted "Israel's" systematic violation of the sanctity of the dead and cemeteries, constituting a blatant breach of international humanitarian law principles and the rules of war governing the protection of cemeteries during wars.

Dive deeper 

The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor reported, on November 26, that the Israeli army is holding the bodies of numerous Palestinians killed during the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza.

The organization called for an independent international investigation into organ theft. Euro-Med Monitor documented how the Israeli army confiscated dozens of bodies from Al-Shifa Medical Complex, the Indonesian Hospital, and the vicinity of the designated "safe corridor" for forcibly displaced people.

Concerns about organ theft arose after medical professionals in Gaza found evidence of missing cochleas, corneas, and vital organs, such as livers, kidneys, and hearts, during quick examinations.

"Israel" has a long history of withholding Palestinian bodies and storing them in covert mass graves referred to as "enemy combatant graves." These graves, situated in closed military zones, are marked only with metal plates. The organization cited at least 145 Palestinians' remains in Israeli morgues, approximately 255 in the "Numbers Cemetery" near the Jordanian border, and 75 missing individuals unidentified by "Israel". 

As per a previous Euro-Med Monitor report, Israeli occupation authorities store the bodies of Palestinians in subfreezing temperatures, sometimes below -40 degrees Celsius, to prevent disturbance and potentially conceal organ theft.

The human rights group stressed that "Israel" has "legalized" the retention of dead Palestinians' bodies and the theft of organs, citing a 2019 Israeli Supreme Court ruling allowing temporary burial in the "Numbers Cemetery".

By the end of 2021, Israeli laws were enacted, permitting the army and police to withhold the bodies of Palestinians. Reports have surfaced in recent years suggesting the unlawful use of Palestinian bodies by "Israel", including organ theft for use in Israeli medical school labs.

It is worth noting that Dr. Meira Weiss, an Israeli doctor, disclosed in her book "Over Their Dead Bodies" that organs taken from dead Palestinians were used in medical research at Israeli universities' medical faculties and transplanted into Israeli patients.

In the same context, Yehuda Hess, the former director of "Israel's" Abu Kabir Institute of Forensic Medicine, admitted to the theft of human tissues, organs, and skin from dead Palestinians without their relatives' knowledge or consent. A 2008 CNN investigation identified "Israel" as a major hub for the illegal global trade in human organs and implicated the entity in the theft of organs from deceased Palestinians for illegal use.

Euro-Med Monitor has verified that "Israel" is the singular entity systematically retaining the bodies of people it has killed, and it stands as one of the world's largest centers for the illicit trade of human organs, justified under the pretext of "security deterrence" and in complete contravention of international charters and agreements.

The human rights group additionally affirmed that the denial of surrendering the bodies of the deceased for proper burial, in line with their religious customs and for their grieving families, could constitute collective punishment. Such an act is explicitly prohibited under Article 50 of the Hague Regulations and Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

  • bodies of Palestinian martyrs
  • Operation Al-Aqsa Flood
  • IOF
  • Gaza graves
  • Gaza genocide
  • organ trafficking
  • Gaza
War on Gaza

War on Gaza

Most Read

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

  • Technology
  • 24 Oct 2025
Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

  • Politics
  • 27 Oct 2025
Hi-tech holocaust: Microsoft’s role in Gaza genocide

Microsoft's role in world’s first AI-driven genocide, in Gaza, exposed

  • Technology
  • 28 Oct 2025
What Marr evidently didn't seem to understand was that Hedges isn't saying that Western journalists manipulate the truth, but that they systematically amplify Israeli narratives they know are false. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Western journalists know they have a case to answer for their betrayal of Gaza, and it frightens them

  • Opinion
  • 24 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Displaced Sudanese who fled El-Fasher after the city fell to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), rest near the town of Tawila in war-torn Sudan's western Darfur region (AP)
Politics

UAE directly funded RSF, leading to fall of El-Fasher: Sudan

'You’re not welcome in Greece': Israelis face port protests
Politics

'You’re not welcome in Greece': Israelis face port protests

This photo released by the Israeli military on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, shows ground operations inside the Gaza Strip (AP)
Politics

IOF soldier who fought in Gaza, Lebanon denied entry to Czech Republic

UN inquiry exposes 'Israel’s' four genocidal crimes against Gaza
Politics

'Israel' committed four genocidal acts in Gaza, UN inquiry finds

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS