The head of Jerusalem Legal Aid Center, Issam al-‘Arouri, has reported that Israel is still holding captive in the “Numbers Graveyards,” the remains of 260 Palestinians who were killed in previous years, while 19 others, who were killed since 2016, are still in Israeli Morgues.
Speaking to Palestine Radio on Thursday morning, al-‘Arouri said that Israel has been practicing this illegal measure for dozens of years, way before its government “legalized it” lately, in order to punish the families of the slain Palestinians, who remain unable to burry their loved ones, or even see their corpses.
“Israel, and its legal system, are violating various international laws, and imposing further suffering on the families of the slain Palestinians,” he said, “The so-called legal system in Israel has recently decided to give it courts a period of six months to ‘justify’ holding the remains for extended periods.”
He also said that Israel seems to be the only country in the world that is using the corpses as a bargaining chip, and as a punishment against the families, and added that Tel Aviv sometimes justifies its illegal actions by claiming that the burial ceremonies would lead to more violence.
It is worth mentioning that whenever the Israeli army releases the remains of Palestinians who were killed after reportedly attacking or killing Israelis, it places strict preconditions, such as having the burial ceremonies held late at night, with a limited the number of participants to include only direct family members, and sometimes not even all of them are allowed to attend.
