Mass Grave found in Al-Shifa Hospital Compound following Israeli Siege

Medics transport an injured Palestinian child into Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City following an Israeli airstrike. Credit: Palestinian News & Information Agency.

By Valli Pendyala

The first bodies in the mass grave in and around Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza were exhumed by health workers on April 9 following Palestinian efforts to find missing relatives last seen in the hospital.

Al-Shifa Hospital, the Gaza Strip’s largest hospital, was part of the bedrock of Gaza’s medical system before the Israel-Palestine War, the WHO reported. According to the New York Times, Al-Shifa Hospital was first placed under siege by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) beginning November 10, 2023, because of IDF claims that Al-Shifa Hospital acted as a base for Hamas. During the first siege, at least one projectile hit the hospital, CNN reported, and an Israeli airstrike destroyed an ambulance.

The IDF launched a surprise attack on Al-Shifa Hospital on March 18, executing what it described as a “high-precision raid” to eradicate the Hamas fighters it alleged were once again using Al-Shifa as a base, cited NBC News. Despite claiming they provided civilians sheltering inside the hospital with food, water, and aid, the World Health Organisation (WHO) received reports that patients and doctors were forced into one building “with extremely limited food, water and only one nonfunctional toilet,” resulting in the death of at least 20 patients, AP News reported.

After the siege ended, a WHO team visited Al-Shifa Hospital, according to their report, stating that the destruction has made it “completely non-functional” and that “restoring even minimal functionality in the short term seems implausible.” They described the extensive damage to the emergency, surgical, maternity, and neonatal intensive care departments, making the physical safety of the building questionable. Additionally, the attacks have destroyed medical equipment, including Al-Shifa’s oxygen plant, CT scanners, ventilators, and surgical equipment, “severely compromising effective diagnosis,” the WHO reported. 

Following the IDF’s April 7 withdrawal from the hospital compound, aid workers and civilians have begun to unearth mass graves throughout the compound, according to CNN. Since then, more than 400 bodies have been recovered from the Al-Shifa area, NBC News reported. Many of the recovered bodies were partially decomposed and found in shallow graves or lying on the ground. According to CNN, several were crushed to death by Israeli tanks, leaving them disfigured and unidentifiable. Although the IDF claims that only terrorists were killed, local authorities identified many victims as civilians.

This destruction further exacerbates the worsening healthcare situation in Gaza, which experts warn may soon become “a looming public health disaster,” cited the International Rescue Committee. Only 10 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are functional, and even their services are severely limited, the WHO reported. The most vulnerable portions of the population as a result of the lack of healthcare are children, who are increasingly suffering from easily treatable diseases. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights has condemned the attack, stating that “Israel is denying access to health care to those most in need.” Ultimately, the International Rescue Committee reported, if healthcare in Gaza continues to deteriorate, experts predict that nearly 90,000 people could die of preventable health conditions.