IDF claims bodies at Gaza hospital were examined in search of hostages

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A couple of days after Gaza civil defense workers reported that a mass grave with more than 300 bodies had been uncovered at a hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis following the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area earlier this month, Israel's military sought to deny culpability.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Tuesday that allegations of mass burials and possible executions at the hospital weren't true and claimed that it had exhumed corpses to try to find hostages taken by Hamas in October.

"The claim that the IDF buried Palestinian bodies is baseless and unfounded," it said in a statement, adding that its forces returned bodies to where they had been buried after they were examined.

"The examination was conducted in a careful manner and exclusively in places where intelligence indicated the possible presence of hostages. The examination was carried out respectfully while maintaining the dignity of the deceased," it further claimed.

(With input from Reuters)