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Euronews: The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor raised concerns about Israel’s forces allegedly stealing organs from dead Palestinians in Gaza. The NGO reported instances where Israeli forces confiscated bodies from hospitals in Gaza and found vital organs missing upon examination, suggesting potential organ theft. Israel has been accused previously of similar practices, but it denies these claims, labeling them as antisemitic. Medical professionals in Gaza noted that a definitive conclusion on organ theft is challenging due to prior surgeries on many bodies and the current constraints imposed by intense Israeli attacks. The situation is exacerbated by Gaza’s collapsed health system, making full examinations of recovered corpses difficult.
In her book Over Their Dead Bodies, Israeli doctor Meira Weiss claimed organs were taken from dead Palestinians between 1996 and 2002 and used in medical research at Israeli universities and transplanted into Israeli patients’ bodies.
Jewish teachings permit organ transplantation and harvesting, with the need to save lives paramount over all other religious commandments.
Israel is thought to be the biggest hub for the illegal global trade in human organs, according to a 2008 investigation by the American CNN network.
Euro-Med Monitor claimed Israel is one of the “world’s biggest hubs for the illegal trade of human organs under the pretext of ‘security deterrence’”.
Euro-Med Monitor urged Israel to comply with international law, highlighting the importance of respecting the dead in armed conflicts, as stipulated by the Fourth Geneva Convention, which Israel has not ratified. Additionally, the NGO accused Israel of withholding the remains of Palestinians killed in military operations, potentially as a punitive measure, and called for the release of these bodies for burial, a significant religious and cultural practice in Islam.
The entire article can be read at the link https://www.euronews.com/2023/11/27/israel-stealing-organs-from-bodies-in-gaza-alleges-human-right-group
