Palestinian envoy claims Israelis mutilate Gazan corpses, blame it on Hamas January 12, 2024Workers at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv where hundreds of dead bodies arrived since the start of the war with Gaza, October 18, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)Chaim Goldberg/Flash90Palestinian envoy claims Israelis mutilate Gazan corpses, blame it on HamasThere is ample evidence from video footage, eyewitness testimony and forensic investigation that 1,200 people were killed by Hamas with many of these raped, tortured, and mutilated.By Vered Weiss, World Israel NewsA Palestinian envoy to Nigeria said in a phoned interview with Al Jazeera that Israel is mutilating the corpses of dead Gazan civilians so they can pass them off as October 7th Israeli casualties.Abdullah Abu Shawesh made the accusations ahead of a hearing at the International Court of Justice in The Hague in which South Africa has brought charges of genocide against Israel for its war against Hamas in Gaza.The interview was posted online by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) and Abu Shawesh is heard alleging that Israel is burning, defacing, and mutilating Palestinian corpses to bolster their argument of Hamas atrocities against Israeli civilians.Abu Shawesh said, “October 7 is a fact and we should not deny that it was a difficult thing,” but then denied that there were any civilian casualties.In actuality, there is ample evidence from video footage, eyewitness testimony, and forensic investigation that 1,200 people were killed by Hamas with many of these raped, tortured, and mutilated. In addition, Hamas took 240 hostages to Gaza.Read Oct. 7th victims' families sue Iran for supporting HamasOf the total casualties, 765 were civilians and the majority of the hostages were also civilians.Abu Shawesh continued, “All the lies spread by Israel like the rape of women, the killing of civilians … all these lies were spread first and foremost by [Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu during his conversation with the US president.”For the rapes and the murders, there is extensive video and forensic evidence as well as witness testimony.The accounts of these atrocities weren’t reported first by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to US President Joe Biden, but were reported by the IDF, ZAKA, survivors, and witnesses.After prolonged silence on the subject of Hamas’ sexual crimes against Israelis, the United Nations has launched an investigation into the incidents and reported that the evidence gathered so far of rapes and genital mutilations indicate that Hamas has committed crimes against humanity.Abu Shawesh denied these claims and said that Israelis “stole corpses of Palestinians and of Palestinian children. They dug up graves.”He added, “We have a feeling that this criminal country might behead the [corpses] of children that it stole from the graves and then present them as evidence, or that it will burn children and Palestinian corpses to present them as evidence in the coming days.”Read Elite police unit held off dozens of Hamas terrorists on October 7thThis is similar to Hamas’ accusation that Israel has dug up Palestinian corpses and harvested their organs.Last month, Israel examined bodies in morgues and graves in Gaza to ensure there weren’t murdered hostages among the Gazan dead, but returned the bodies to be properly buried. antisemitic conspiracy theoriesHamas atrocitiesOctober 7th massacrePA envoyPalestinian Authority