UN Commissioner Volker Turk: Hamas ceremony "cruel" and contrary to international law

UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk condemned the Hamas ceremony today (Thursday) which displayed the hostages as trophies alongside celebratory music, according to reporter Itay Blumenthal.

In a statement he released, Turk said that "Under international law, any handover of the remains of deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families," according to the Times of Israel.

The International Red Cross came in for scathing criticism for its willing participation in a ceremony which not only openly displayed the coffins but also contained celebratory music, an audience that included families, children, and terrorists released in previous exchanges - and also labels mentioning the hostages as having been "arrested" rather than kidnapped on October 7.

The Red Cross did reportedly refuse to participate in part of the ceremony, which led Hamas to threaten that they would not hand over the slain hostages if this refusal continued.

Israeli media channels did not broadcast the humiliating ceremony at the request of the families, though reporters did mention some of the details via other media. Al-Jazeera, a Qatari-backed channel which is banned in Israel due to alleged violations of Israeli national security, broadcast the entire ceremony live.

Israel has received the slain hostages from Hamas via the Red Cross. After a brief ceremony, which included Israeli flags and the IDF Chief Rabbi saying a chapter of Psalms, the hostages were then taken to Israel's forensic medicine institute to be examined and, if possible, to have their cause of death identified.

The families and multiple government ministries have requested that the public not mourn until the identification is complete, and that the privacy of the families is respected. The government also recommended that the public not consume the news today or see the Hamas ceremony.