Bodies of Palestinian assailants transferred to West Bank

A spokesperson representing Hebron families whose relatives have been killed by Israeli forces, Raed al-Atrash, told Ma’an that 14 of the bodies would be buried in the city’s Al-Shuhada (Martyrs) Cemetery in the al-Sheikh quarter after funeral prayers are performed.

A military spokeswoman said that, after Friday’s handovers, the army would have returned a total of 76 bodies and was still holding two.

“A Palestinian attacker rammed his vehicle into forces securing routes near Huwara and wounded a soldier”, an army statement said, referring to a checkpoint near Nablus in the north of the occupied West Bank.

Medical sources said Shadi Ghabish from al-Zira’a neighborhood close to the refugee camp died at his family home, where he was resting after sustaining an injury due to being hit with a dum-dum bullet, which exploded in his pelvis area.

That means 6.22 million Palestinians and 6.34 million Jews live in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel proper today.

The majority of the Palestinians were killed while carrying out attacks.

The move follows a debate within Israel over the wisdom of holding on to the bodies, with supporters noting that funerals for the terrorists have turned into mass rallies at which speakers call for new terror attacks.

Seven bodies were returned earlier this week, including that of Wissam Tawabte, who murdered 21-year-old Hadar Buchris in November.

Since the start of October, Israeli forces or armed civilians have killed at least 132 Palestinians, 82 of whom authorities described as assailants.

In the latest shooting attack in Tel Aviv on Friday afternoon, two people were killed and six were injured in varying degrees.