TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The remains of dozens of Palestinians killed by Israelis was found in a mass grave in Tel Aviv's Jaffa district. The remains were those killed in fighting during the war of 1948, which led to the creation of the state of Israel.
According to an official at the Muslim cemetery, the mass grave was found under a Muslim cemetery that was being renovated on Wednesday. The workers then found six chambers full of skeletons.
Atar Zeinab, a witness, said as a teenager he helped to collect the Arabs during the war in 1948. The 80-year old man said that the dead were buried in the asouth of Jaffa for hasty burial in the cemetery.
"I carried around 60 bodies to the cemetery during a period of three to four months," he told AFP, adding "We found bodies with no identity on the street."
He said that the danger of being hit by flying bullets or grenade fragments was the reason those bodies were dumped one on top of another. "We carried them early in the morning or at night," he added. "We put women, children and men in the same place. Nobody prayed for those people," Atar added.
Prior to 1948, Jaffa was a Palestinian town. However, since Palestinian residents were forced to flee the city, it fell to the Israeli army. In 1950 Jaffa was incorporated into the city of Tel Aviv which was renamed Tel Aviv-Jaffa.
Today the city has a mixed Arab and Jewish population. Around 760,000 Palestinians fled or were forced to leave Jaffa and most of them were expelled by the Israelis. The tragedy was called 'Nakba' or 'catastrophe' by the Palestinians, while the Israelis call it 'Independence War'.
AL JAZEERA | SITA PLANASARI AQUADINI
