Israel Holds 800 Palestinian Bodies, Including 83 Minors, Killed by Soldiers and Settlers

Israel is currently withholding the bodies of 800 Palestinians who have been killed by the Israeli army or settlers in the occupied West Bank, a figure updated by the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC) and shared with EFE news agency. This practice, which has been ongoing for weeks and even decades, includes the remains of 83 children and adolescents.

The families of these young individuals are plunged into a state of enduring grief, unable to say a final farewell or perform customary burial rituals. For parents like those of 15-year-old Ahmad Al Salah and 17-year-old Mohamad Al Alyan Issa, whose bodies were confiscated in July 2025 after being shot by soldiers near the West Bank barrier, the uncertainty is agonizing. A year later, they still do not know where Israel is storing their sons' bodies, for what purpose, or if they will ever be returned.

Israel has, over the years, cited potential negotiations with groups like Hamas, which held Israeli soldiers' bodies, as justification for its policy. However, even after Israel recovered the remains of its last hostage from Gaza in January, this practice has continued. The Israeli military established what Palestinians refer to as "number cemeteries" shortly after the 1967 war, creating anonymous burial sites for "enemies."

Legal justifications for holding bodies have evolved. In 2004, the Attorney General ruled that while Israel couldn't use bodies as "bargaining chips," it could retain them for future exchange agreements. In 2017, the Israeli security cabinet formalized this into a "uniform policy for handling the bodies of terrorists." This policy was challenged by NGOs, including JLAC, and upheld by the Supreme Court in 2019. The court determined that the return of Israeli soldiers' remains was "fundamental to the protection of national security," while retaining "terrorists' bodies" did not affect "the dignity of their families."