The bodies of 73 people have been recovered from a mass grave near the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip, bringing the total to 283, the Hamas-controlled Civil Defence organization reported.

Whether the bodies were those of Hamas fighters or civilians was not clear. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in response to a question that they were checking the information, which could not be independently verified.

IDF troops entered the hospital in February. They reported killing people around the hospital that they saw as suspected terrorists. They withdrew earlier this month.