UN’s Guterres says Hamas handover of Israeli captives’ bodies violated international law

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the “parading of bodies” of Israeli captives by Hamas during a hand-over ceremony on Thursday, Al Jazeera reports.

In a post to social media, Guterres said the public display of coffins violated international law.

“I condemn the parading of bodies and displaying of the coffins of the deceased Israeli hostages by Hamas on Thursday,” Guterres said.

“Under international law, any handover of the remains of the deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families,” he said.

Meanwhile UN’s human rights group has denounced the “abhorrent and cruel” manner in which Hamas staged the handover of the bodies of four hostages to Israel, AFP reports.

“The parading of bodies in the manner seen this morning is abhorrent and cruel, and flies in the face of international law,” said the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.