Israel Returns Body of 15-Year-Old Palestinian After Nine Months

sajadi Editor : Widi - Friday, 4 September 2026 - 07:52 WIB

Friday, 4 September 2026 - 07:52 WIB

8 Views

Tunas, MINA – After nearly nine months of withholding his body, Israeli occupation authorities on Thursday returned the body of 15-year-old Jadallah Jihad Juma Jadallah to his family. His body was brought back to Al-Far’a refugee camp, south of Tubas, where he will be laid to rest after his family endured a long wait following his killing, the Palestinian Information Center reports.

Jadallah was killed on November 16, 2025, after being shot by Israeli forces during a raid on Al-Far’a refugee camp. His body was subsequently withheld.

According to Palestinian sources, ambulance crews were prevented from reaching him at the time before he was pronounced dead and his body was taken by Israeli forces.

The decision to return his body followed a legal process that began in March 2026, when attorney Mohammad Abu Sneineh, representing the National Campaign for the Retrieval of Palestinian Martyrs’ Bodies and the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center, filed a petition with the Israeli Supreme Court demanding the return of his body.

Jadallah’s case extends beyond his family’s long-awaited ability to bury him. His return comes as the number of Palestinian bodies withheld by Israel continues to grow, with hundreds still being held, including the bodies of children, women, and Palestinian prisoners who died in Israeli prisons.

According to the latest figures from the National Campaign for the Retrieval of Palestinian Martyrs’ Bodies and Palestinian prisoners’ organizations, Israel was withholding the bodies of 799 identified Palestinians as of August 2026.

The figure includes 256 bodies held in what are known as “cemeteries of numbers,” 99 bodies of Palestinian prisoners, 81 children, and 10 women. The documented figure, however, does not represent the full number.

Data reported by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz cited Israeli estimates indicating that about 1,700 Palestinian bodies are being held, most of them from the Gaza Strip, with the identities of many remaining unknown.[]

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)