Bulldozed corpses and unmarked graves

Wadi went to get a bag of flour from an aid truck near the Zikim crossing into northern Gaza in June 2025. He never made it home, but his phone was delivered to his family weeks later with the following words on the screen, “Forgive me mom if anything happens to me,” whoever finds my phone, please tell my family that I love them so much.”

Wadi is among the dozens of Palestinians whose loved ones say vanished near Zikim and whose fates remain unknown. A CNN investigation now points to the Israeli military bulldozing the bodies of some of those killed near the crossing into shallow, unmarked graves. At other times, their remains were simply left to decompose in the open, unable to be recovered in the militarized area.

The practice of mishandling bodies by bulldozing them into unmarked graves can violate international law, according to legal experts. CNN’s review, which also found that aid seekers were killed by indiscriminate Israeli fire near the crossing, drew upon hundreds of videos and photos from around Zikim, along with interviews of eyewitnesses and local aid truck drivers.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/12/03/middleeast/bulldozed-corpses-gaza-israel-zikim-aid-intl-vis-invs

Ammar Wadi                                                          His family with his phone