NBC News reached out to the IDF for comment regarding allegations from Gaza Strip residents accusing the Israeli military of disturbing a cemetery in the Khan Yunis area.
In response, the army press service stated that the Israeli military was searching for the bodies of deceased hostages in the cemetery.
"The IDF conducts targeted operations to locate and retrieve the bodies of deceased hostages based on critical intelligence information," the IDF spokesperson explained.
He clarified that the process of identifying bodies does not occur in the Gaza Strip but in a secure location. Bodies that do not match those of the hostages are returned to the Gaza Strip "with proper respect for the deceased."
