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List of mass graves in the Middle East

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Mass graves in the Middle East have been the final resting place of people who have died in natural disasters, mass executions, other massacres, and pandemics.

Table: List of mass graves in the Middle East[edit]

This table is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Event Location Date of event Victims Demographics Killer Discovered Bodies Graves
Quba mass grave Azerbaijan Quba, in Azerbaijan. 1918; 106 years ago (1918) (suspected) 400+ unidentified disputed April 2007 (2007-04) - discovered during the building of a stadium. 400+ 1
Tantura massacre Mandatory Palestine Tantura, Mandatory Palestine now near  Israel Haifa 23 May 1948;
76 years ago (1948-05-23) 		40–200+ State of Palestine Palestinian Arab villagers  Israel Defense Forces  Alexandroni Brigade May 2023 (2023-05) - Forensic Architecture identified 3 graves a beach resort.[1] none exhumed 3
Mass graves in Iraq  Iraq Iraq Iraqis 2003 (2003)
COVID-19 pandemic in Iran Iran Qom 21 February 2020;
4 years ago (2020-02-21).[a] 		disputed Iran mostly Iranian COVID-19 2020 - Satellite imagery from Qom cemetery

Details[edit]

Turkish Invasion of Cyprus[edit]

This section is an excerpt from Mass grave § Turkish Invasion of Cyprus.[edit]
Many mass graves of both Turkish and Greek Cypriots were found in Cyprus after Turkey invaded the island in 1974.[4][5] On August 3, 14 Greek Cypriot civilians were executed and buried in a mass grave.[6] In Eptakomi 12 Greek Cypriots were found in a mass grave executed with their hands tied.[7] On the other hand, during the Maratha, Santalaris and Aloda massacre, 126 Turkish Cypriots including elderly people and children[8] were murdered by EOKA B and the inhabitants of the three villages were buried in mass graves with a bulldozer. The villagers of Maratha and Santalaris, 84 to 89 people in total,[9] were buried in the same grave.[10] Mass graves were used to bury Turkish Cypriot victims of Tochni massacre too.[5]

Gaza Strip[edit]

This section is an excerpt from Mass grave § Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza City.[edit]
In April 2024, health workers in Gaza exhumed the first bodies from mass graves at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where at least 381 bodies were found after the withdrawal of Israeli forces, following their two-week siege. Officials claim that many bodies showed signs of severe trauma, including being crushed or disfigured, and claim this is partially the result of being run over by Israeli tanks.[11] The graves included both buried and above-ground remains, some under dirt or plastic sheeting.[12][13]
This section is an excerpt from Mass grave § Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Yunis.[edit]
In April 2024, following the withdrawal of israeli forces, over 300 bodies of young men, women, and children were unearthed at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, Gaza, after Israeli military withdrawal. The bodies exhibited signs of having been bound and potentially executed in the field. Reports indicate that two other mass graves have been identified, but have yet to be excavated.[14][15][16]

See also[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

  1. ^ The digging of the new section of burial pits began on 21 February, only two days after the government announced their first cases of COVID-19, and then rapidly expanded. The number of fresh graves suggests preparation for a far larger number of deaths.[2][3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Tantura:
    • Bethan McKernan, 'UK study of 1948 Israeli massacre of Palestinian village reveals mass grave sites,' The Guardian 25 May 2023.
    • Forensic Architecture. "Executions and Mass Graves in Tantura, 23 May 1948". Retrieved 27 May 2023.
    • Ofer Aderet, 'We Threw Bodies': Researchers Say Four Mass Graves Dot Site of Arab Village in Israel,' Haaretz 26 May 2023
    • Staff, The New Arab (25 May 2023). "Israel's 1948 Tantura massacre: Mass grave sites discovered". The New Arab.
  2. ^ *Cunningham, Erin; Bennett, Dalton (12 March 2020). "Coronavirus burial pit so vast they're visible from space". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  3. ^ Iran is building a massive grave for coronavirus victims on YouTube. published on 13 March 2020 by The Washington Post
  4. ^ Zikakou, Ioanna (4 September 2015). "Mass Greek-Cypriot Grave Found in Occupied Cyprus | GreekReporter.com". Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Mass grave of massacred Turkish Cypriots found in Cyprus". worldbulletin.net/ (in Turkish). Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  6. ^ Karadimas, Nektarios (28 June 2016), "Agios Vasilios in Lakonia", The Encyclopedia of Ancient History, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., p. 1, doi:10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah30180, ISBN 978-1-4443-3838-6
  7. ^ "Bones don't speak". the Guardian. 15 April 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  8. ^ "CYPRUS: Ankara's Slow Nibble". Time. 16 September 1974. Archived from the original on 22 December 2008. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
  9. ^ "The Victoria Advocate – Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  10. ^ Oberling, Pierre (1982). The Road to Bellapais: The Turkish Cypriot Exodus to Northern Cyprus. Social Science Monographs. ISBN 978-0-88033-000-8.
  11. ^ "'Tell us where our children are?' First bodies exhumed from mass graves at Al-Shifa Hospital after Israeli siege". CNN. 9 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  12. ^ "'Tell us where our children are?' First bodies exhumed from mass graves at Al-Shifa Hospital after Israeli siege". CNN. 9 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  13. ^ "Mass graves in Gaza show victims' hands were tied, says UN rights office". UN News. 23 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  14. ^ "More than 300 bodies found in mass grave at Gaza hospital, says Gaza Civil Defense". CNN. 23 April 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  15. ^ "Nearly 200 bodies found in mass grave at hospital in Gaza's Khan Younis". Al Jazeera. 21 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  16. ^ "UN rights chief 'horrified' by mass grave reports at Gaza hospitals". Reuters. 23 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
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