In a shocking and grisly discovery, a mass grave containing decomposing bodies of Palestinian detainees has been unearthed in Gaza, prompting Palestinian authorities to demand an international investigation. At least 30 bodies were found in black plastic bags near the Hamad school in northern Gaza, sparking allegations of execution-style killings by Israeli soldiers.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called for a team to visit Gaza in order to uncover the truth and scope of what they describe as Israeli "massacres" and "genocide" committed against the Palestinian people. Witnesses interviewed by Al Jazeera have reported that the deceased were blindfolded, tortured, and killed before being placed in the bags.

Hamas, the Palestinian armed group, has urged human rights organizations to document the mass grave, condemning the actions of the Israeli soldiers as heinous and vowing that they will be held accountable for their crimes. The condition of the bodies varied, ranging from severely decomposed to mere skeletal remains, making identification a challenging task.

Prominent Palestinian human rights lawyer, Diana Buttu, has labeled the discovery of the mass grave as a clear war crime and emphasized the importance of a thorough investigation. Buttu connects this incident to the ongoing legal battle between Palestine and Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where Israel has been ordered to avoid acts that could amount to genocide against Palestinians.

The Palestinian detainees in Gaza have long been subjected to routine abuse by Israeli forces, including prolonged arbitrary detention, beatings, and verbal abuse. Last month, a UN human rights official called for an end to Israel's mistreatment of Palestinian detainees, recounting harrowing stories of men being held in unknown locations for weeks, subjected to beatings and even released in diapers without proper clothing.

The discovery of the mass grave serves as chilling evidence of the alleged genocide being committed by Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip. As the region struggles to recover from months of intense Israeli bombardments and ground offensive, the death toll continues to rise. Gaza's health authorities have reported that at least 26,900 Palestinians have been killed since the war began on October 7, while Hamas attacks in Israel have claimed the lives of at least 1,139 people.

The demand for an international investigation into this horrifying discovery highlights the need to uncover the truth and bring those responsible for the killings to justice. The world watches as the Palestinian authorities seek accountability for what they perceive as grave violations of human rights.