Forensic doctors in Gaza’s Nasser hospital are confronting a difficult situation as they attempt to examine and identify the bodies of Palestinians returned by Israeli authorities. These bodies, often arriving in advanced states of decomposition and sometimes bearing marks of restraint on their wrists and ankles, present a significant challenge due to a severe lack of resources, including cold storage facilities and advanced DNA testing capabilities.
Over the past eleven days, 195 bodies have been returned to Gaza as part of a ceasefire agreement, with two additional bodies also returned. Photographs of these bodies reveal signs of severe injury, including deep grooves on the skin from tightly bound wrists and ankles, as well as marks where blindfolds were tied. Doctors on the ground have expressed distress, noting that the decomposition process, exacerbated by the frozen state of the bodies upon arrival, severely hinders proper examination and identification.
Forensic experts have emphasized the critical need for full medicolegal autopsies to determine the exact circumstances of death and any potential human rights violations. However, the limited resources in Gaza make such comprehensive investigations extremely difficult. The doctors are working with limited data, relying on visual examination and basic details to identify the deceased, with many bodies remaining unidentified and being buried in mass graves due to space constraints.
Concerns have also been raised about the accuracy of identification provided by Israeli authorities, with some names being incorrect. The Israeli military has stated that all bodies returned so far belong to combatants and has denied mistreatment, while human rights organizations point to evidence of widespread abuse of detainees in Israeli custody. The situation highlights a growing forensic emergency in Gaza, with families desperately seeking answers about the fate of their loved ones.