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Israel returns body of Palestinian 'beaten to death' in raid
Mohammed Rimawi, 24, is believed to have died of injuries sustained when Israeli forces stormed his home in Beit Rima and violently beat him before taking him into custody on September 18.
"The Israeli authorities handed over Mohammed's body near the settlement of Ariel, near Salfit, this evening," Adel Barghouti, the former mayor of Beit Rima, told The New Arab. His body was transferred to a medical centre in Ramallah for further tests.
Hundreds of residents of Beit Rima and its neighbouring villages gathered at the ambulance where Mohammed's body was handed over on Sunday, with videos of the scene posted on social media.
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Rimawi's family informed The New Arab on Tuesday it planned to take legal against the Israeli army in an international court.
Twelve days ago, Israeli soldiers stormed into the Rimawi family's home in the West Bank town of Beit Rima and brutally beat Mohammad while he was still in bed, his family says.
The troops ripped off his clothes and dragged him unconscious along the ground, towards a military vehicle. A few hours later, the family was informed of his death.
The Palestinian Prisoner's Society has condemned the killing and said it was caused by excessive beating by Israeli forces, Ma'an News reported.
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The group said Rimawi was the third Palestinian allegedly tortured to death by Israeli forces so far this year.
Israel soldiers have long been accused of using excessive violence against the thousands of Palestinians it arrests each year in the occupied West Bank and along the Gaza Strip.
Around 95 percent of Palestinians detained by Israeli forces say they were subjected to physical and mental abuse, according to testimonies from prisoners.
In February, Yassin al-Saradeeh was killed after being beaten by Israeli soldiers during his arrest in the occupied West Bank city of Jericho.
Around 6,000 Palestinian prisoners are currently held in 18 Israeli jails and detention centres.
More than 40 percent of the Palestinian male population have been detained at some point by Israeli military forces since the year 2000, rights groups say.