Israel army desecrated 16 cemeteries in Gaza, turned some to military outposts, CNN reports

The Israeli military has desecrated graves at more than a dozen cemeteries in Gaza, a new investigation appears to have confirmed.

CNN said on Friday that it had reviewed satellite imagery and social media footage showing the destruction of cemeteries.

The news outlet's staff said they had witnessed the desecration of while travelling in an Israeli army convoy.

The evidence showed a "systemic practice" by Israeli forces in areas they have advanced into, CNN said.

Israel launched its air and ground onslaught on Gaza on 7 October, and has so far killed almost 25,000 people in the Palestinian territory.

Palestinian officials and human rights groups including Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor have since reported that graves on Palestinians in Gaza had been dug up and bodies taken.

A spokesperson for the Israeli military told CNN it had unearthed bodies as part of its search for hostages held by Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this week that 253 hostages were taken by the Palestinian group on 7 October.

According to Israeli officials, some 132 hostages remain in Gaza - 105 still alive, and 27 dead.

CNN’s analysis of satellite imagery and videos showed that multiple cemeteries had been turned into military outposts.

Images and videos also showed destroyed tombstones and heavy tread marks, pointing to heavily armoured vehicles or tanks driving over graves.

A spokesman for the Israeli army could not account for the destruction of the 16 cemeteries CNN provided coordinates for.

They said that the military sometimes has "no other choice" but to target cemeteries it claimed Hamas uses for military purposes.

The spokesman say they had no answer for why cemeteries were being used as outposts.