Ramallah: Israel has admitted losing the bodies of more than 100 Palestinian martyrs killed by the occupation forces during the Second Palestinian Intifada which took place between 2000-2004.
The admission comes after a Palestinian committee tasked with getting the bodies back petitioned the Israeli High Court to investigate the matter.
After 17 years, the Israeli regime was finally forced to admit its gross negligence in dealing with bodies of Palestinian martyrs.
A senior Israeli Justice Ministry official told the Israeli daily, Haaretz, the search for the bodies began only recently.
“The truth must be told, many bodies have been lost,” the unnamed official said.
Apparently, private companies were hired to bury the bodies of Palestinians and they provided no official record over the locations of the graves, another official explained.
Documents and records went missing as some companies went bankrupt, the official said.
The High Court has given Israeli authorities four months to provide details on all withheld remains.
Bodies of Palestinians are often withheld by Israeli authorities to punish the families of alleged Palestinian attackers.
Bodies that they bury themselves are often treated with gross negligence and disrespect.
The graves are usually no deeper than 50 centimetres. Strong winds often uncover the corpse leaving it vulnerable to being eaten by wild animals.
Since the 1960s, Palestinians say Israel has withheld a least 500 bodies of martyrs.
Palestinian families often insist on DNA tests before accepting bodies because they do not trust Israeli authorities.
