Israel has released more bodies of murdered Palestinians who show signs of torture. And, a shocking conversation between Al Jazeera and a forensic expert has revealed that every single body showed signs of torture – both before and after death.
Israel’s deadly routine torture
Forensic specialist Sameh Hamad of the Body Management Committee told the broadcaster of the horrific condition of victims’ bodies released from Israeli prisons under the ‘ceasefire’ agreement in which Israel has bombed Palestinian civilians daily. Translated from the Al Jazeera Arabic website by the European Palestinian Youth Union, Hamad’s report lists:
evidence of torture, field executions and severe mutilation, as well as the challenges of identifying victims due to withheld data and lack of forensic resources.
And not a single victim’s body, of the 165 released so far, was free of evidence of torture – and all but 31 are so badly mutilated – often deliberately to prevent recognition – that identification has been impossible. Hamad explained that:
The bodies appeared with their eyes blindfolded and their hands tied behind their backs, others with ropes coiled around their necks, bodies with shattered bones and limbs, deep wounds in the head, abdomen, and neck, torn and burnt skin, and disfigured faces
When asked how many bodies they have received so far, Hamad answered that 165 martyrs had been returned. However:
According to what the International Committee of the Red Cross informed us, Israel is supposed to release 450 bodies under the deal and the ceasefire agreement.
Hamad explained that the bodies have been returned without identification:
The Red Cross was supposed to pressure (Israel) to hand over the personal data of the martyrs along with the bodies. Our martyrs are not numbers. The occupation was also supposed to hand over an instant DNA testing device to the International Committee of the Red Cross, but it renege on its commitment, and this device, which is unavailable in the Strip, has not reached us.
This means that many martyrs have not yet been identified. And, families are forced to search through images of the dead:
We have also allocated a hall in the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis to display photos of the bodies on a large screen for crowds of missing persons’ relatives, who are eager to know the fate of their sons. In case of diagnosis, matching marks, and identification, procedures are completed to hand over the body to its family for a dignified burial. Between 300 to 500 people, relatives of the missing, come to us daily to view the photos, hoping to calm their anxious hearts about the fate of their sons- whether they are martyrs to be buried or detainees with the occupation to pray for their freedom.
Field executions
Hamad recounted one particular martyr which he remembered:
The martyr Bahaa El-Din Sadeq Al-Khatib, from Rafah city south of the Gaza Strip, aged 45. We received his body on October 18 of this month.
From examining his body, it is likely that he was subjected to field execution. About 60 of his relatives were in the viewing hall, which was filled with screams and cries, between confirming that the body was that of Al-Khatib and denying it due to the horror of the scene and the condition of the body. It was finally confirmed that it was the martyr Al-Khatib. He was a prisoner released in the ‘Wafa al-Ahrar’ deal, known as the ‘Shalit deal,’ and he had previously been subjected to an Israeli assassination attempt that left a mark on his body, in addition to traces of a surgical operation on his right leg. His wife confirmed his identity by recognizing his clothes.
And, the manner in which martyrs are returned is extremely undignified:
It is necessary to note here that the occupation hands over the bodies of the martyrs in plastic bags, in an insulting manner unbefitting the sanctity of the dead. These bags, due to weather factors, leave effects on the skin layer and obscure body features or some signs of torture. The most prominent signs and effects on the bodies of the martyrs can be noted as follows:
• Blindfolding of the eyes.
• Handcuffing of hands behind the back with plastic restraints, as well as shackling of legs.
• Stabbings with sharp tools in the face, chest, and neck.
• Severe redness, as if from burns.
• An incised wound in the abdominal area, possibly indicating organ theft or a surgical procedure that led to death. It is difficult for us to determine the cause precisely because the bodies are in a difficult state due to being frozen in refrigerators at -180 degrees Celsius.
• We have a body of a martyr with a tight rope around his neck, indicating he was subjected to strangulation and
hanging…
When asked why Israel returns martyrs in such unidentifiable states, Hamad explained:
The occupation persists in committing its crimes against Palestinians, both when they are alive and even after their martyrdom. It intentionally desecrates the dignity of the martyrs. It knows that by withholding data, it increases the calamities and torments of the missing persons’ relatives. It is aware that Gaza lacks any capabilities to deal with these bodies, examine them, and identify them, and consequently, they are buried in mass graves as we decided, without a farewell glance.
Israel is a terror state of unfathomable barbarity and depravity.
