Algeria Calls for Closed-Door Consultations at UN Security Council on Gaza Mass Graves
✏️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada
Algiers- Algeria, May 8, 2024 – At the request of Algeria, the United Nations Security Council convened a closed-door meeting on Tuesday evening to address the discovery of mass graves in the Gaza Strip.
This meeting was prompted by the uncovering of mass graves in Khan Younis, located in the southern Gaza Strip, where nearly 400 bodies have been found, with the majority being women, children, and healthcare workers.
According to diplomatic sources, the meeting featured two briefings delivered by Francesca Albanese, the UN rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, and Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, providing a comprehensive discussion on the blatant violations committed by the Zionist occupier.
During the meeting, Algeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Amar Bendjama, asserted that “the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip has crossed all boundaries and violated all norms.”
Ambassador Bendjama emphasized three key points, highlighting “the necessity for an independent investigation to ascertain responsibilities” and recalling “the outcomes of previous Israeli investigations,” according to the same sources.
Additionally, he called for “the occupying authorities to cooperate in accordance with the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued on January 26, 2024, and to ensure the preservation of evidence,” while endorsing the UN Secretary-General’s statement urging “immediate access for independent international forensic investigators to the mass grave sites to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the deaths of Palestinians and their burial or reburial.”
Mr. Bendjama stressed that “tampering with deceased bodies constitutes a war crime under the 1949 Geneva Conventions, which require parties to the conflict to take all necessary measures to prevent any alteration to lifeless bodies,” recalling that “the occupying authorities had admitted to opening the graves of Palestinians.”
It is worth noting that the spokesperson for UNRWA, Juliette Touma, had reported that “Israel had sent 225 deceased bodies to Gaza in three containers since December, which were then transferred to local health authorities for burial.”
According to the same sources, “negotiations are currently underway to draft a Security Council statement, initiated by Algeria, expressing the deep concern of Security Council members over reports of mass graves discovered in Gaza, emphasizing the need for accountability for violations of international law, and calling for investigators to be granted access to all mass grave sites in Gaza.”
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