Israel – Hamas War Live: News and attacks in Yemen from the US and UK

A CNN investigation revealed that the Israeli military desecrated at least 16 cemeteries in its ground offensive in Gaza, resulting in destroyed tombstones, disturbed ground, and, in some cases, exhumed bodies.

In Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, where fighting intensified earlier this week, Israeli forces destroyed a cemetery and a cemetery. They took out the bodies What the Israeli military told CNN was part of the search for the remains of hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 terrorist attacks.

CNN examined satellite images and social media images showing the destruction of the cemeteries and saw them live while traveling with the Israeli military in a convoy. Taken together, the evidence reveals a systematic practice by which Israeli ground forces advanced throughout Gaza.

The intentional destruction of religious sites, such as cemeteries, violates international law except in very limited circumstances that the site becomes a military target, and legal experts told CNN that Israel's actions could constitute war crimes.

An Israeli army spokesman could not explain the destruction of the 16 cemeteries whose coordinates were provided by CNN, but said that the army sometimes “has no choice” but to attack cemeteries that it claims Hamas uses for military purposes.

The Israeli army stated that rescuing hostages and finding and returning their bodies is one of its main tasks in Gaza, which is why bodies were recovered from some graves.

“The hostage identification process, which takes place in a safe and alternative location, ensures ideal professional conditions and respect for the deceased,” an IDF spokesperson told CNN, adding that bodies determined not to be hostages are returned with dignity and respect. “

But in other cases, the Israeli army appears to have used the cemeteries as military sites. CNN's analysis of satellite images and videos showed that Israeli bulldozers turned many cemeteries into sites, leveled large areas of land and erected berms to fortify their sites.

In the Shujaiya neighborhood in Gaza City, Israeli military vehicles could be seen at the site of the cemetery, with barriers surrounding it on all sides. Local media reported that the central part of the Shujaiya cemetery had been cleared before the war. But satellite images showed that other parts had been destroyed more recently, and that the IDF presence was visible as early as December 10.

Read the full memo here.