Middle East latest: Israel orders new evacuation in ‘dangerous combat zone’ in northern Gaza | World News
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People in Khan Younis who have been searching for their loved ones in the mass graves discovered in Khan Younis have been speaking to the Sky News team on the ground.
Moayed Suleiman Mahmoud Mustafa, 14, whose family was killed in airstrikes, told our team that he found his mother’s body in one of the graves and buried her yesterday.
He is still looking for his sister, father and his cousin.
The teenager said: “I only found my mother, we buried her yesterday. I am now looking for my sister, my father and my cousin.
“We took my mother from here and we buried her in our cemetery.”
People in Gaza “want to rest”, he said.
“We don’t want to be living like that, we want to live,” he added.
“There is no life. This is all for nothing. I feel sad, lonely, alone in the world.”
Reem Zaydan said she was still searching for her son and believed he had been killed in January
“The day my son was martyred, I knew he was martyred without anyone telling me. A mother’s instinct,” she said.
“My son was displaced in an area, and he used to always contact us after any strike or anything. When Khan Younis in its entirety was besieged, he did not call us, unlike every other time.
“I have been coming here for days. Every day, I come from 6am until 2pm. I come from Rafah city and head to the same place. Once they finish their work, I go home.”
Karima al-Ras, 55, who lives in Khan Younis, said she had found her son after two months of searching for him.
“Today, I came at 6am when I found my son, Ahmad,” she said.
“His father died when he was 12, and I raised him. I gave him an honourable life. I made him study mechanical engineering. Cars would come to our doorsteps and he would fix them. Ahmad was beloved by everyone.”
The IDF has called claims they buried Palestinian bodies “baseless and unfounded”.
The military said the operation in the area of Nasser Hospital was to locate hostages and missing persons, and bodies “buried by Palestinians in the area of Nasser Hospital were examined”.
“The examination was carried out respectfully while maintaining the dignity of the deceased. Bodies examined, which did not belong to Israeli hostages, were returned to their place,” the IDF said.
