In pictures: Gaza reburies 100 bodies stolen and returned by Israel
Palestinian officials say corpses returned by Israeli troops and finally laid to rest in southern city of Rafah involved "full bodies, half bodies and body parts."
Civilians watch as Gaza workers bury the snatched bodies of unidentified Palestinians whose date of death is not known after they were returned by Israel / Photo: AFP
Bodies of about 100 unidentified Palestinians have been finally laid to rest at a mass burial in besieged Gaza after Israel handed over the snatched bodies is troops had been holding in Israel.
Many onlookers covered their noses with masks as bodies were placed in graves in the southern city of Rafah before bulldozers piled sand on them.
Palestinian officials said the bodies included victims of the Israeli aggression and corpses that had been dug up as Israeli forces invaded deeper into Gaza. Health officials said the bodies included "full bodies, half bodies and body parts."
Authorities in Gaza accused Israel of harvesting the organs of the Palestinians they stole from Bani Suheila cemetery, east of Khan Younis around two weeks ago.
Here are some images from the mass burial site👇
Palestinians bury the bodies of people after they were returned to Gaza by the Israeli military, during a mass funeral in Rafah.
People perform funeral prayer during the mass burial of 100 snatched Palestinians returned by Israel in Rafah.
Israeli military spokesperson denies "unfounded claims" of Israel removing organs from the bodies.
Corpses were handed over earlier on Tuesday at the Israeli-controlled Karem Abu Salem crossing between Israel and Gaza, Palestinian officials say.
A Palestinian source at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt told the AFP news agency the snatched bodies had been "stolen by the occupation [Israeli] army during its incursion" into Gaza.
A second source at Gaza's Ministry of Religious Affairs told AFP that Israel "stole them from Bani Suheila cemetery, east of Khan Younis" around two weeks ago.
CNN suggests that the tunnel Israel claims was located under the cemetery, from which they stole the dead bodies, didn't even exist.
People lay blocks and dig the ground for the mass burial of 100 snatched Palestinians returned by Israel in Rafah.
The bodies, wrapped in blue plastic bags, were transferred to the location in a cooler truck. / Photo: AP
Health officials confirm they received 100 bodies, "including full bodies, half bodies and body parts."
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