No respite for the dead in Gaza

In war-ravaged Gaza, even the dead cannot rest.

Residents of the southern city of Khan Younis said Israeli soldiers have dug up graves on several occasions at the Bani Suhaila cemetery in the Palestinian enclave.

Bilal Al-Qahwaji buried several members of his family, including two brothers, there in November after they were killed in an Israeli air strike. He can no longer find their bodies.

"They (Israeli forces) dug it up once again – a first, second and third time," he said.

“There are no corpses. My martyrs are all in this area and I didn't find them,” Qahwaji added, referring to his dead relatives.

The Israeli military said in a statement that it should be clear that it "in no way targets cemeteries as such, and has no policy of harming or desecrating cemeteries".

"During a war in which Hamas purposely embeds itself deeply within the civilian population, including within and adjacent to civilian sites like cemeteries, physical damage to such sites might occur," it added.