Israeli forces today repressed a peaceful march by Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem demanding the release of the bodies of Palestinians who have been killed.
Eyewitnesses said clashes broke out when occupation forces fired tear gas and stun grenades at protesters as they reached the northern entrance of Bethlehem.
Azhar Abu Sorour, mother of the Palestinian martyr Abdel Hamid Abu Sorour, told Quds Press that the martyrs’ families demonstrated in the streets hoping to receive the bodies of their sons in order to bury them.
She pointed out that the march came while an Israeli court is considering a recently filed petition demanding the release of the detained corpses.
Abu Sorour called on global legal authorities to escalate the issue to the international courts and to investigate what she described as a “crime”.
The Palestinian families urged the United Nations and human rights organisations to press Israel to release the bodies of the deceased Palestinian and to put an end to Israel’s disregard for international humanitarian law.
The Israeli Supreme Court today demanded the occupation government clarify why it is not releasing the bodies within 45 days.
The bodies of seven Palestinians are being held by Israel, while dozens have been released after petitions were filed at the Supreme Court by the families of the deceased.
#شاهد | وقفة بمدينة #بيت_لحم للمطالبة باسترداد جثامين الشهداء المحتجزة لدى الاحتلال. pic.twitter.com/CyabzgzXjP
— النورس الإخبارية (@NawresNews) March 22, 2017