Israel is currently withholding the bodies of 676 Palestinians in refrigerated morgues and so-called “Cemeteries of Numbers,” according to the National Campaign for the Retrieval of Palestinian War Victims’ Bodies.
In a statement issued on Friday, the campaign reported that Israeli forces continue to hold the bodies of three Palestinians killed earlier in the week in Jenin, bringing the total to 676. This figure includes the remains of 71 detainees, 60 children, and nine women.
The “Cemeteries of Numbers” refer to burial sites where Palestinian bodies are placed in unmarked graves, each marked only by a metal plate with a number corresponding to Israeli security records.
A ruling by Israel’s Supreme Court in September 2019 authorized military commanders to withhold Palestinian bodies temporarily, potentially using them as leverage in future negotiations.
The campaign also revealed that some of the bodies have been held since the 1960s and 1970s. However, the data does not account for bodies withheld from Gaza, as precise records are unavailable. Despite this, 325 bodies from Gaza have been returned over time.
Since October 7, 2023, Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed at least 48,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to reports from Gaza Health Ministry. A ceasefire has been in place since January 19, halting Israeli airstrikes that devastated the enclave.
Meanwhile, Israel has intensified military offensive in the occupied West Bank, reportedly killing more than 60 Palestinians and forcibly displacing over 40,000.
