British-Palestinian surgeon Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta says bodies recently returned from Israeli custody show signs of professional surgical removal of vital organs, calling it evidence of systematic organ harvesting.
The bodies of Palestinians recently returned by Israel appear “highly indicative of organ harvesting,” according to British-Palestinian surgeon, Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta.
“The bodies show clearly surgically removed lungs, heart, kidneys and liver – done in a professional, surgical way, using sharp bone saws, causing zero damage to surrounding tissues,” Abu Sitta told Al-Jazeera earlier this week, the Quds News Network (QNN) reported. His conclusions are based on photographs that he saw of the bodies, which the Palestinian Ministry of Health received from the Israeli army.
“The bodies show clearly surgically removed lungs, heart, kidneys and liver – done in a professional, surgical way, using sharp bone saws, causing zero damage to surrounding tissues,” he said.
The UK-based surgeon said the bodies “also had liquid nitrogen burns on their skin, but no other injuries. It’s unlikely the organs were retrieved post-mortem.” Liquid nitrogen is a chemical used to prevent tissue degradation.
He added: “All of these bodies belonged to Palestinians whose families said they had been imprisoned alive. So all of this is highly indicative of organ harvesting.”
Abu Sitta noted that “every organ was removed as if ready for transplant.”
The photographs were taken on October 17, shortly after Israel handed over 120 bodies, he said.
Confirmation from Gaza Authorities
Abu Sitta’s comments support reports by the Gaza Government Media Office director, Dr. Ismail al-Thawabta, who also reported that Israeli forces stole organs from Palestinian corpses and called for an immediate international investigation, QNN reported.
Al-Thawabta reportedly said dozens of bodies were found mutilated and missing vital parts, including eyes, limbs, and internal organs.
“When we examined the bodies, we found that large parts were missing, there were half bodies, bodies without heads, without limbs, without eyes, and without internal organs,” he was quoted as saying.
315 Bodies Returned
Gaza’s Health Ministry confirmed on Monday that 315 bodies have been received from Israeli authorities since the US-brokered ceasefire took effect last month. The Ministry confirmed that 38 unidentified bodies were buried, raising the total number of unidentified bodies buried to 182.
Gaza’s forensic department has previously said that most Palestinian bodies returned from Israel were blindfolded and bound, providing evidence of torture and execution before death.
Hamas said in a statement on Monday that Israel has “handed over dozens of Palestinian bodies that had been brutally mutilated, including bodies crushed under tank treads, and others who were field-executed while bound and blindfolded.”
“This constitutes a fully-fledged war crime and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law,” the statement added.
Call for Commission of Inquiry
Gaza’s Government Media Office has called “for the urgent establishment of an independent international commission of inquiry to investigate these heinous crimes and to hold Israeli leaders accountable for the war crimes committed against our people in the Gaza Strip.”
Mohammed Zaqout, director of hospitals in Gaza’s Health Ministry, also spoke about the “clear signs of torture” found on the bodies, QNN reported.
He said: “One body shows signs of hanging with a rope still wrapped around the neck, blindfolds around the eyes, and bound hands. That martyr was placed as is and sent to us.”
Citing the Palestine Center for Prisoners Studies, QNN reported that the deaths of more than half of the Palestinian prisoners in detention were a result of torture and abuse.
Due to the sharp rise in arrests, particularly of Palestinians from Gaza, Israel has opened new detention and interrogation centers operated directly by its military, the report stated.
According to the Center, these facilities have become sites of “systematic torture and mistreatment, in clear violation of international law and human rights,” the report added.
Israeli Health Workers ‘Complicit’
A new report published on Friday in the leading peer-reviewed medical journal The BMJ details extensive evidence of torture and inhumane treatment of Palestinians held in Israeli detention sites since 2023, including accusations of complicity by Israeli health workers.
The report, co-authored by physicians and medical experts including Dr. Sara el-Solh and Norwegian doctor and professor Mads Gilbert, cites multiple documented cases of physical, psychological, and sexual violence against Palestinian detainees.
The report states that “at least 75 Palestinians—including children—have died or been killed while held in Israeli detention since October 2023”, citing United Nations data. Survivors detained without charge described “repeated beatings and horrific conditions,” according to the authors.
The authors note that Israeli authorities have acknowledged torture of Palestinian detainees in the past. The report cites a finding that torture has been used “systematically” against Palestinian detainees, referencing an Israeli government admission previously documented by The Guardian.
~ Palestine Chronicle ~
