Archaeologists uncover potential mass graves in Palestinian village of Tantura
Archaeologists have identified three potential mass graves in the Palestinian village of Tantura, which was destroyed by Israel in 1948.
The sites are believed to be located beneath a beachfront car park, and evidence suggests that they may have been used to bury victims of an atrocity in which up to 200 men were executed after surrendering to Israeli soldiers.
The investigation, conducted by Forensic Architecture, used geographic data, eyewitness testimonies, and other evidence to create a 3D map of the area and assess changes in the landscape where bodies may have been buried or exhumed.
The findings have been used to petition Israeli authorities to demarcate the identified sites and allow families of the victims to visit them.
Adnan Haj Yahya, whose family owned the land where one of the sites was identified, recounted being forced to dig the grave and bury the bodies by Israeli forces at the age of 17.
The discovery of the mass graves is expected to shed light on the events surrounding the destruction of Tantura and the Nakba, the 1948 Palestinian exodus.
The investigation, conducted by Forensic Architecture, used geographic data, eyewitness testimonies, and other evidence to create a 3D map of the area and assess changes in the landscape where bodies may have been buried or exhumed.
The findings have been used to petition Israeli authorities to demarcate the identified sites and allow families of the victims to visit them.
Adnan Haj Yahya, whose family owned the land where one of the sites was identified, recounted being forced to dig the grave and bury the bodies by Israeli forces at the age of 17.
The discovery of the mass graves is expected to shed light on the events surrounding the destruction of Tantura and the Nakba, the 1948 Palestinian exodus.
