PNN – While the Zionist regime presents itself internationally as a “progressive and humane” government in the field of organ donation and is even recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records for setting world records in kidney donation, shocking realities have emerged behind the scenes of this propaganda.
The facts that reveal the commission of organized crimes against the bodies of Palestinians, both living and martyred. From the long-term detention of the bodies of martyrs to the violation of their dignity and serious suspicions about the theft of body parts, all are signs of gross violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.
Coinciding with the International Day of Solidarity with Palestine and Palestinian Prisoners on January 31, the case of the bodies of Palestinian martyrs being held by the Zionist regime has once again returned to the forefront of public attention. Testimonies from families, doctors, and human rights organizations show that what is happening is not simply a deterrent or security policy, but rather an organized pattern of crime that continues in the shadow of the international community’s silence.
A martyr who did not return; a body with unanswered questions
Yasmine Al-Barsh, the wife of martyr Dr. Adnan Al-Barsh, a Palestinian orthopedic doctor who was martyred under torture in Israeli prisons in April 2024, does not rule out the possibility of her husband’s body parts being stolen. He announced that immediately after his martyrdom, his wife’s body was transferred to the Abu Bir Forensic Institute, a center that has a long history of autopsies and preservation of Palestinian bodies. The continued detention of the body without any official autopsy report or medical explanation has redoubled concerns about the abuse and violation of the body’s dignity.
Gaza Health Ministry: Where do these members come from?
Dr. Munir Al-Barash, Director General of the Gaza Health Ministry, posed a frank question, questioning the legitimacy of the Israeli regime’s declared records in kidney donations. According to him, how can a regime that keeps hundreds of martyrs’ bodies in morgues and cemeteries for years and prevents them from being returned to their families simultaneously claim transparency and humanity in the area of organ donation?
Human rights reports also report suspected cases of the theft of corneas and other organs, cases that are being documented for submission to international authorities as war crimes.
Cemeteries of Numbers; Nameless Death
According to the announcement of the “National Campaign for the Return of Martyrs’ Bodies”, the Zionist regime is keeping at least 776 Palestinian bodies in mass graves and morgues; among them are children and martyred prisoners. The organization also reported the exhumation of more than 250 graves during the recent aggression against Gaza, describing it as a clear violation of the dignity of the dead and a full-fledged war crime.
International law is being violated.
Raed Abu Bedouia, a professor of international law, emphasizes that seizing bodies, manipulating them, or harvesting vital organs is a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions and constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity. According to him, depriving Palestinians of dignity even after death is a systematic policy that requires immediate international prosecution.
The apparent duality of global standards
These revelations come as the Israeli Foreign Minister talks about setting a world record for kidney donation and commending the Guinness Book of World Records; a clear contradiction that once again reveals the duality of international standards. Where the human achievements of the occupiers are praised, the lifeless bodies of the Palestinians remain silent and defenseless, victims of silence and global injustice.