Not returning bodies of dead Palestinians to families is illegal, Israeli court rules
An Israeli court has ruled that bodies of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces should not be used as bargaining chips.
1 min read
Palestinians have been demanding back the bodies of those killed by Israeli forces [Getty]
Israel's supreme court ruled on Thursday that it was illegal not to return the bodies of dead Palestinians to their families unless an exchange was agreed.
Current legislation does not authorise the refusal to return the bodies, the court said, following a motion filed by families of nine Palestinians.
However, Israel's highest court granted the government six months to pass a law allowing it to keep hold of the corpses, otherwise the bodies would have to be handed over.
The government announced last year that it would not return the bodies unless the Palestinians agreed to an exchange for the remains of two Israeli soldiers believed to have been killed in a 2014 war in Gaza.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu indicated last month that Israel would use the bodies of Palestinians killed in a Gaza tunnel explosion as part of a deal to receive those of two Israeli soldiers.
On Thursday, Netanyahu described the court's ruling as "very problematic".
"Hamas must not be offered free gifts, and I will convene a meeting on Sunday... in order to find a concrete and legal solution to keep putting pressure on Hamas," he said on his official Facebook page.
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