Claims and Concerns Raised by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has accused Israel’s army of engaging in organ theft from the deceased in Gaza, prompting the NGO to advocate for an independent international investigation. The organization expressed “concerns” about potential organ theft from Palestinian corpses, citing reports from medical professionals in Gaza who examined bodies released by Israeli forces. The NGO alleged that Israeli forces confiscated numerous dead bodies from al-Shifa and Indonesian hospitals in northern Gaza and others in the south, even exhuming and confiscating corpses from a recently dug mass grave at al-Shifa.
“Evidence” of Organ Theft
The NGO claimed to have documented missing vital organs, including livers, kidneys, and hearts, along with cochleas and corneas, raising suspicions of organ theft. Medical professionals in Gaza hospitals reported these findings, but Euro-Med highlighted the challenges in proving or disproving organ theft through forensic medical examination alone due to prior surgeries on multiple bodies. The ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza further hinder a comprehensive examination of the recovered corpses.
Historical Accusations and Reports
Accusations of Israel unlawfully using Palestinian corpses have circulated for years. Meira Weiss, an Israeli doctor, claimed in her book “Over Their Dead Bodies” that organs were taken from dead Palestinians between 1996 and 2002 for medical research and transplantation. In 2014, a controversial Israeli television investigation revealed confessions from high-ranking officials regarding the use of skin from dead Palestinians and African workers to treat Israelis, particularly soldiers with burn injuries.
Israel’s Standing in the Global Organ Trade
Israel has been linked to the illegal global trade in human organs, with a 2008 CNN investigation identifying it as a significant hub. Euro-Med Monitor asserted that Israel is one of the “world’s biggest hubs for the illegal trade of human organs under the pretext of ‘security deterrence'”. The organization called on Israel to adhere to international law and emphasized the importance of respecting and protecting the bodies of the deceased during armed conflicts, as outlined in the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention.
Withheld Palestinian Bodies and Collective Punishment
Euro-Med also accused Israel of retaining the remains of dozens of Palestinians killed in its recent military operation in Gaza, portraying this as a punitive practice that denies families the opportunity to bury their loved ones. The organization claimed that Israel currently holds the remains of at least 145 Palestinians in its morgues and approximately 255 in the so-called “Numbers Cemetery” near the Jordanian border. Refusing to release the bodies to grieving families may constitute collective punishment, a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and runs counter to the fundamental religious duty of burying the dead in Islam.
SOURCE: Ref Image from euronews.com
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