Key facts
- Israel is withholding approximately 1,700 Palestinian bodies.
- The bodies are intended for potential future exchange deals.
- Shin Bet chief David Zini and the Israeli military support the policy.
- Most bodies belong to Palestinian combatants, but some are civilians.
- Legal experts question Israel's authority to hold bodies without a formal policy.
- International humanitarian law requires bodies to be treated with dignity and buried.
Israel is reportedly holding the bodies of approximately 1,700 Palestinians as potential bargaining chips for future exchange deals, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz. The practice, supported by Shin Bet chief David Zini and the Israeli military, is permitted under Israeli law but faces criticism from legal experts and human rights groups.
Haaretz reported that most of the withheld remains belong to Palestinian combatants involved in the October 7 attack, but also include Palestinian civilians and 13 Israeli citizens. Legal sources cited by the newspaper question Israel's authority to retain the bodies of non-combatants without a formal policy from the Security Cabinet.
Human rights groups have repeatedly condemned the policy, citing international humanitarian law which requires the dead to be treated with dignity and buried honorably. The Israeli Supreme Court has previously upheld the policy, allowing the Defense Minister to withhold bodies under emergency regulations for negotiation purposes. Adalah, a legal center, argues this practice treats deceased Palestinians as commodities, causing harm to grieving families.